The Gemini Prophecy
by icarus abides
Summary: To change the future, one must influence the past.
1. Default Chapter

The Gemini Prophecy  
  
The Ice Queen  
  
Spoilers: Everything through Daddy Dearest is fair game (And I just started watching this year but I've caught up on a lot of the previous eps in reruns and if I make mistakes about the magical abilities and stuff, it's just because I didn't know)  
  
Rating: PG-15 for language, violence  
  
Pairings: Leo/Piper and probably some Phoebe/Cole later on but I'm not sure about that one yet  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or the characters. yada yada yada.. Trust me, if I did I wouldn't be as much in debt as I am. . I only wish Leo was... *drool* hehe Oh! But Meika, Talyn, and Jakkin are mine  
  
Comments: Ok, so be gentle because this is my first attempt at a Charmed fic, but feedback is a MUST if I'm gonna get motivated to write more.  
  
  
  
The Gemini Prophecy  
  
Halliwell Manor  
  
Present Day  
  
"Phoebe!"  
  
Piper's yell resonated off the walls of the manor, reaching up into the solitude of the attic, where Phoebe was. Her concentration broken by her sister's cry, Phoebe opened her eyes to find herself falling quickly to the floor. She barely managed to throw her hands out before she hit the worn, wooden boards. Piper had caught her in the middle of one of her levitation practices, which not only took patience but also extreme concentration.  
  
In the back of her mind, Phoebe thought of berating her sister for breaking her peace-and almost her neck as she had fallen to the floor-but her mind was elsewhere as she raced down the stairs. It must have taken a lot to make Piper interrupt her and Phoebe was concerned for her sister. Now four months into her pregnancy and apparently invincible, Piper had continuously argued that she did not need the babysitting of her husband and sisters. However, that did not keep the whitelighter and witches from keeping a watchful eye over her.  
  
Phoebe quickly ran down the stairs, jumping down the last final steps to the first floor hallway. "Piper?"  
  
"In here," the voice answered. Phoebe had barely stopped moving as she transitioned from the stairs to the kitchen. She ran in, breathless and poised for battle, expecting something, ANYTHING in the kitchen. Instead, she found a frustrated Piper standing by the kitchen counter, a large pot and open book on the counter in front of her. Various herbs and powders covered the remainder of the countertop.  
  
Phoebe stopped and looked around, hands still raised defensively in front of her face. "Ummm..." She looked around confused. "Am I missing something? Is it invisible or something..?" She trailed off uncertainly, throwing a look at her dark haired sibling.  
  
Piper returned her befuddled expression, "Phoebe, what are you talking about?"  
  
"The demon," Phoebe stated, as if it explained everything, "The demon or warlock or ghost or something that had better be here to offer a damn good explanation as to why you yelled, totally freaked me out, and interrupted my practicing."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry Phoebe," Piper's face had fallen as soon as she had realized her mistake. "I forgot that you were doing your levitation thing now. And I didn't mean to freak you out. I just needed to ask you about something." As an afterthought, she added, "And why have you been so jumpy all of the time recently?"  
  
Phoebe looked away, picking up and pretending to be interested in a random ingredient from the counter. There was no way that she was going to tell Piper about how protective they were all feeling of her and the baby. The hormones would probably kick in and Piper would end up biting her head off - it had happened before. She frantically searched for another excuse, finally coming to the one that would never fail and never be questioned.  
  
"Oh, well, you know... I'm just worried about Cole and what he might be planning. I don't want to get caught unprepared. We're going to need the Power of Three for whenever he finally decides to show up and I don't want you having to take him on at all with just the Power of One...or I should probably say One and A Half."  
  
She ended her comment with a raised eyebrow and a grin in her sister's direction. Piper returned the smile with a small laugh. Phoebe's relieved smile became wider at that. It had been awhile since she'd heard a genuine laugh from Piper, who had seemed to spend a lot of time recently spazzing and blowing things out of proportion. Phoebe had noticed, and she was sure that Paige had too, that there was not as much laughter in the house as there used to be. She hoped that it would change soon.  
  
Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, Phoebe remembered Piper's earlier statement. "So, umm, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"  
  
"Oh.. well, I'm having a little problem with this potion I'm supposed to be working on..."  
  
"Potion?" Phoebe questioned, once again confused. "What are ya making that for? Is there a demon around to vanquish that I didn't know about or.?"  
  
"No, no, it's nothing like that." Piper interjected. She gave a small, dejected sigh that would have slipped by anyone else. Anyone but a sister.  
  
Phoebe looked at her fretfully. "Hey," she asked softly, "What is it?"  
  
Piper looked up at her and Phoebe could clearly see the doubt and worry that were lurking there. "It's just." Piper's voice caught slightly in her throat and she continued a little less shaky. Her next words came out in almost a whisper so that Phoebe almost missed them, "I'm scared." As Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, Piper cut her off. "I mean, I'm not scared of having the baby and I'm not scared of things I should be scared of like demon threats and things... I'm scared because I.. I don't think I can do this. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what I'm doing Phoebe. I me.. I mean, when Grams came and visited us a little while ago she asked me and Leo what we had done to prepare a.and we hadn't done ANYTHING. My God, Phoebe. If she hadn't have told us, I wouldn't have known to do any of that. I...I..She's not even here yet and I already can't protect her.." Piper trailed off as her voice began to betray her emotions and the small sobs began to leak out. Phoebe was immediately next to her, wrapping her arms around her older sister.  
  
"Shhhh, shhhh," She murmured. "It's ok, it's going to be ok." She pulled back slightly to look Piper in the eyes. "Hey, no one knows how to do it the first time. That's why we have moms and grandmoms and doctors and videos. And someone at the VERY beginning had to do this without having any clue as to what was going on. But she did it. And so can you." Piper looked at her skeptically, but at least she had stopped crying. Phoebe took it as a good sign and decided to push her luck. "Remember, when Prue was alive and you always said that as the oldest sister she was pretty much our mom?" At Piper's small nod, she continued with a supportive smile, "Well, for about a year and a half now, you've been the oldest sister, which means that you've pretty much been the 'mom' of Paige and me. And neither of us have died or been horribly disfigured or anything. So something must be going right, right?"  
  
Piper gave a bitter laugh, shaking her head and casting her eyes downward. "That's true buuuut... oh, let's see. You've been possessed, become Queen of the Underworld, been impregnated by a demon, been severely wounded, been turned into a Mermaid... need I go on?"  
  
A wry grin crossed Phoebe's features. "Oops, so maybe that wasn't the BEST example." Piper looked up again and flashed her a grateful smile, "You're right it wasn't THE best. But I got what you were trying to say. And it helps to know that you'll listen. Thanks."  
  
Phoebe reached her arms up and around Piper's neck, pulling her sister in close for a warm hug. "Anytime." She released her and stepped back. Piper gave a small laugh to break the tension and wiped the last of tears that had been threatening to fall from her eyes, with the back of her hand.  
  
"Damn these hormones for making me so emotional." Phoebe couldn't help but giggle at that statement.  
  
"So you never answered my question, whatcha cookin?"  
  
"Oh yea," Piper turned her attention back to the pot that had been simmering on the stove while the two had been talking. "This is... Well, it's SUPPOSED to be a protection potion, specifically for the nursery. Grams hooked me up with one of her strongest. Unfortunately," Piper growled in frustration, "it also seems to be one of her most difficult. This is about the fourth time that I've tried this and I keep getting the same nasty result. There is no way that I'm spreading something that smells like THIS anywhere near where my baby is going to be sleeping."  
  
Phoebe stepped a little closer to the pot and immediately wanted to retreat as the raunchy, acidic smell burned her nose and eyes. "Oh my God, that's awful."  
  
"Gee, thanks, I hadn't noticed." Piper replied sarcastically.  
  
"Sorry," Phoebe winced apologetically. "It's just that I'm having a flashback to the times when Paige was first beginning to learn potion- making. Ahh, the colors, the smells, the explosions.." The trace of faked wistfulness in her voice made Piper chuckle as she too remembered some of the hazardous wastes that Paige had concocted as her first potions. Phoebe stopped and gained an air of seriousness again. "So what do you think is going wrong?"  
  
"I have NO idea. If I knew that I'd fix it! But I do know that there's supposed to be a reaction after I add the wormwood but when I do it there's nothing, nada, zip! Grrr..." She raked her hands through her hair. "I know you're good at this, could you give me a hand for a while?"  
  
Phoebe nodded. "Sure, I can do some more levitating later. First things first, let's get rid of this... 'stuff' that you have right now and just start at the beginning." Piper nodded her agreement and she reached for the pot.  
  
Four hours later  
  
"Geeeeeez, couldn't Grams have picked a protection that was just a LITTLE easier??" Phoebe was almost to the end of her rope. She and Piper had been working on the potion for hours. They had finally taken a break and made a few others that had to be done, but the important protection potion had not yet been created. Neither could figure out what they were doing wrong, almost a dozen failed attempts had gone down the drain, and they were now running dangerously low on the needed ingredients. She threw her hands in the air in frustration. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Piper sway slightly and she realized how long it had been since either of them had taken a break. She could have smacked herself for not realizing that the pregnant woman had been up on her feet for so long. "That's it! We're done! We're finished for the night." Piper looked over at her and merely nodded her head in agreement. They both looked around at the mess on the counter and walked away. It would get cleaned up later. It always did.  
  
Sighing, Piper flopped down onto the couch while Phoebe snuggled up in the chair across from her. She suddenly realized how tired she was and closed her eyelids against the light of the room. Stretching across the sofa, Piper kicked off her slippers, rubbing her feet together. "Ohhhh.. A foot massage would be great right now," she murmured. She waited but didn't hear anything except Phoebe's steady, shallow breathing. She repeated, a little louder. "Oh, I'd do anything for a foot massage right about now."  
  
Suddenly, a familiar blue light orbed into the room and Piper found herself looking into the smiling face of her husband. "Anything?" He questioned with a sly grin. "Promise?" Piper couldn't help but smiling back at him. It was contagious. And he bent down to lightly kiss her on her parted lips. Piper leaned into it hungrily and he instantly responded, deepening the kiss as a moan escaped her. What had begun as a small, chaste kiss was rapidly escalating and Leo soon realized that his control (as well as hers, he noted) was slipping away. Just then, they distinctly heard a throat clearing and, breaking apart their contact, they turned their heads to look at a smirking Phoebe. "Umm.. Not to interrupt or anything, but uhhh.. you guys do know that you're in the living room right? With all the windows open? And, more importantly, with me right here? Can't ya give me a little warning or something.....? Geez."  
  
Piper and Leo both laughed and he pulled back away from his wife. She sighed softly at the loss of contact. Leo heard her and threw a small wink in her direction, letting her know that at a more opportune time they would most certainly pick up where they had left off. The answering seductive look on her face almost made Leo claim her lips with his again, regardless of where they were or who was there. However, he made do with picking up one of her feet instead and watching with pleasure as she sighed contentedly.  
  
Phoebe glanced out of the darkening windows, the violet streaks of the sunset just beginning to emerge. "Where's Paige? Isn't she a little late?"  
  
Piper nodded her head almost imperceptively, her eyes closed. "Yea..umm, late. court... custody.." She was finding it extremely hard to form coherent thoughts with a certain whitelighter manipulating her feet the way he was.  
  
"Well, do you know when she'll be.." Suddenly, the front door banged shut and Paige came striding into the room. Phoebe smiled wearily at her, "Wow, nice timing. You sure you don't have a gift of telepathy?"  
  
"Yea right, I wish." Paige plopped down in the chair next to Phoebe's. "Then I would know what was going through that IDIOT judge's mind today in court. Oh, this has SOOO not been a good day." She ended her sentence with a pout and an exasperated sigh.  
  
Paige was content to sit in silence with the two of her sisters. It wasn't often that relaxation came to the manor and they all intended to enjoy it as much as possible. By this point, Piper was soundly asleep on the sofa and the others were not far behind her. Leo gently placed his wife's feet back on the cushions and silently rose to stand next to her. Phoebe opened her eyes blearily at the movement and Leo raised his finger in front of his lips to shush her. He bent over and placed his arms beneath his sleeping wife, preparing to orb her upstairs. She would have one helluva backache tomorrow if he left her there all night.  
  
The familiar blue lights had just begun to swirl around the two forms when a deafening crack of thunder shook the room. The three witches were immediately awake, Piper smacking her head into her husband as she sat up straight. Phoebe and Paige, on the other hand, had jumped up to their feet partially asleep and thoroughly confused.  
  
Clouds had formed over there heads, just below the room's ceiling. The smoky substance swirled until it came into the shape of a purple vortex. Phoebe immediately grimaced. "Ohhh crap!" She exclaimed over the vortex's wind. "Is that what I think it is..?"  
  
"Yup." Piper shouted back to her. "Looks like one of those time vortex thingys. Leo!" She turned slightly towards her husband. "Did you or the Elders know anything about this?" Her voice held a warning tone, daring him to answer in the positive. Unlike the last time this had happened however, Leo was at a complete loss. He merely shrugged his shoulders at her accusation and held up his hands in mock surrender.  
  
Another crack thundered through the room and something fell through the vortex, crashing onto and through the coffee table. Just as suddenly as it had appeared the wormhole closed leaving nothing behind except the unconscious figure on the floor.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC...  
  
That was mostly to set up the rest of the story. More'll be happening in the next chapter.  
  
Love it? Like it? Hate it? You GOTTA let me know or I'm not writing any more... Feedback is a necessary evil!! 


	2. Chapter 2

(AN: 'Chimera' is pronounced Kigh-mare-ah)  
  
  
  
The three witches and their whitelighter could only stand with their mouths agape as they looked in front of them. A tangle of flesh and reptilian limbs laid on the remains of their table. A pair of large wings that reminded them of a bat covered most of their view and lizard-like tail snaked its way over to their feet. The creature on the floor had still not moved but the sister's were finally roused into action.  
  
"Uhhhh... demon?" Piper suggested, cocking her head to the side. She looked at the others for input. "Blow it up or what..?"  
  
Phoebe looked down skeptically, "Well, it hasn't tried to do anything to us yet. Hell, it hasn't even moved. Maybe it's dead."  
  
"Or maybe we should kill it now before it gets the opportunity to take us out." Paige proposed.  
  
"Well, Mr. Guide. What do you say? Have you ever seen anything like this thing before?" Phoebe asked, turning to her brother-in-law.  
  
Leo was looking over the form on the ground, studying it. "I won't be able to tell you what it is. But I'll check with the Elders and see what they have to say about it if you want m..."  
  
Leo was interrupted as the creature suddenly stirred. It shook its head and looked around bewildered. When its eyes came to rest on its audience, it quickly jumped to its feet with a hiss. Standing at full height, the creature was much less intimidating than it had been lying in a confusing heap on the floor. It was only about six feet tall, this mainly due to the creature walking up on the balls of its feet. What was also clearly obvious was the fact that the creature was not an 'it' after all. It was a 'she'.  
  
The sisters immediately adopted defensive stances and at this action, the creature growled deep in her throat warningly. Her wings spread out to their full span and the witches' eyes were instantly drawn to the beautiful, dark blue appendages. The skin in between the structure defining bones was a lighter blue, with a tough and leathery, yet semi-see through appearance. There were reptile-like scales distributed across her body, only slightly on her chest and down the center of her face. The dark blue scales also covered her taloned feet, blending gradually with human flesh across her thighs. The same was true on her arms, with the scale reaching partway through her upper arms. At this point, she flexed her hands and the witches reflexively looked at them. At the sight of the clawed four-fingered hands, the Charmed Ones were ready to take her out.  
  
"Oook, I'd have to agree with Paige's earlier statement." Phoebe said quickly, looking to Piper. "Blow it up!"  
  
"With pleasure. I don't really think we should wait for this demon to do a slice and dice number on us." Piper raised her hands while she talked.  
  
The creature saw her hands rise and immediately flinched and backed down, fear flashing in her eyes. Piper hesitated at that. "No! Please don't!" The creature pleaded. Piper was at a loss. Demons didn't usually beg. Demons came to kill them no matter what, with little or no regard for their own life.  
  
"Umm, demons don't usually beg," she said, voicing her concern to her sisters. "Maybe we should consult the Book of Shadows."  
  
Phoebe nodded her agreement. Paige did the same. "But what are we supposed to do with her? We can't just leave her here. She could still attack us at any minute." The situation was at a stand still as the three witches and their unexpected guest assessed one another. Suddenly Paige smiled and held out her hand. "Crystals," she stated commandingly as a blue light orbed from upstairs into her palm. She added "Circle" and, with a wave of her hand, the five crystals circled the standing creature and their power enclosed her.  
  
Piper looked at her sister approvingly. "Niiiiiice."  
  
"Why thank you," Paige grinned back. She held out her hands again. "Book of Shadows." Instantly, the book had orbed down to her from the attic. She sat in the chair next to her as her sisters perched on either side and Leo looked on. They began flipping intently through the ancient pages.  
  
Forty minutes later, they had not come any closer to finding out who was residing in the crystal prison in their living room. Piper arched her back to work out the kinks. "This isn't getting us anywhere," she complained. She cast a glance over at the pent up creature who was beginning to fidget from side to side in her enclosure. She hadn't said a word since her "Please don't" comment and had barely made any sound since then. Suddenly, as if she had misjudged the size of her corral, one of her wings grazed the electrified sides. She was thrown to the side as the current shot through her body. Unfortunately her lurch caused her to hit the opposite side of the pen and that elected another howl of pain. She fell forward, her head hitting the forward wall of the prison, and began to convulse. All three sisters quickly stood up, Piper with a whispered "Oh my God."  
  
The being looked up at them with a trail of blood dripping from her mouth and nose. She held out her hand and quietly murmured, "Crystal." And with that, the crystal was in her hand, the cage gone.  
  
The Charmed Ones collectively took a step back. Phoebe hissed to Leo, "Umm. how the hell did she do that? I thought only whitelighters could do that whole orbing thing."  
  
"Well, as far as I know you're right." Leo answered her. "If she's a demon and has orbing powers, then that's bad. Very, very bad."  
  
"No, ya think?" Paige snapped impatiently. "Let's just worried about getting rid of her shall we?"  
  
"Wait." Piper said quickly. "I think that we may be going about this wrong. Look at her. She hasn't moved since she got the crystal." Indeed she was still on the floor, her labored breathing sounding heavily. "I think that she may have hurt herself. And if she can orb things..why didn't she do it earlier? Why did she spend all that time imprisoned when she could have made her move while healthy? She waits until AFTER she gets injured to escape?" Piper asked incredulously. "Something is off here."  
  
Leo nodded his head. "I agree." Phoebe and Paige looked at each other, thinking. They too could see something in what Piper was saying. Phoebe turned to her older sibling, "So then what do we do?"  
  
Piper looked thoughtfully at the creature on the floor who was struggling to push herself up, her breathing becoming even more ragged. "Maybe we should try to talk to her." Phoebe and Paige exchanged looks but neither could stop their sister as she stepped over and knelt down next to the prone figure on the floor.  
  
"Hey!" Piper said forcefully in the most no-bullshit tone she could muster. It looked up at her and Piper was immediately struck by her clear brown eyes. They seemed so alive - something that she had never seen in a demon before. And at that moment Piper was incredibly relieved that she had not gone by her first instinct and blown the creature up. She felt her sisters step up on either side of her and once again got down to business. Still looking her in the eye, Piper asked firmly, "What are you?"  
  
The girl in front of her inhaled deeply, drawing in a breath to speak. "I am..a.. Chi..Chimera..."  
  
"Chimera?" Phoebe repeated. "God, why does that sound so familiar?"  
  
Piper continued with her questioning, "We saw you come through the time portal? Where did you come from? Why are you here? Who sent you?"  
  
The creature sucked in another breath and when she answered it was so quiet that the sister's almost missed it. "Future... Ge...Gemini Prophecy... Book..Shadows.."  
  
Paige turned to her brother-in-law, "Leo, do you know wha.." Her voice trailed off as she took in the whitelighter's ashen face. "Leo?" Piper and Phoebe turned to look as well at Paige's concerned tone. Suddenly, Leo was rushing past them to kneel down next to the being. He placed his hands over her chest and as the warm glow began to emit from his hands, her breathing began to return to normal. The witches didn't know what to say, trusting Leo to offer the information when he was able to. When he was done with his task, he gently helped her to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered, the faintest trace of a smile flashing across her face.  
  
"You're welcome." Leo replied humbly.  
  
The sisters were still lost. "Hello? Excuse me Leo but what's going on?" Piper interjected.  
  
Leo strode back over to the chair where the book laid open. He held his hands over it and the pages began to flip obediently until they reached the section labeled Chimera. "Oh, I remember now," Phoebe exclaimed. "The Chimera was a monster from Greek mythology that one of thosse hero guys had to battle. It had the body of a lion, head of a goat, and tail of a lizard or something."  
  
"A snake actually," Leo supplied. "Read." He instructed.  
  
Piper bent over the open book and read it out loud for the benefit of her sisters. "A Chimera is a highly magical and exceptionally rare magical being. They can be either good or evil, depending on their destiny. Chimeras also have the ability to shape shift, much like powerful demons do.." Piper cut off. "Shape shift? You mean that she (Piper indicated to the silent Chimera) could change into any of us here?"  
  
"No, it doesn't work like that," Leo answered, "She has two forms: one as a Chimera and the other as a normal human form. Much like Cole and Belthazar."  
  
Piper frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm. Anyway, although Chimeras are traditionally thought of to be a lion/goat/snake entity, this is only one possibility. There are two different types of Chimeras. One is an animal type, such as the popular lion/goat/snake. This is a less powerful Chimera and usually does not come into contact with people. The second and more powerful Chimera is the humanoid type. These are EXCEEDINGLY rare and are usually given important tasks. Humanoid Chimeras have a general human form (two legs, two arms, walk upright) but have additional animal attributes such as feathers, wings, or tails. They are considered to be about the same as a gargoyle in many places and are usually very powerful guardians, which is why they may be found guarding the Houses of God." Piper finished. "Like the things over on the cathedrals in Europe? Those are Chimeras?"  
  
"Yep." Leo replied quietly.  
  
The sisters looked over at the Chimera, who was now sitting on their couch. Suddenly Phoebe remembered, "Wait, what was that other thing she was talking about? The Gemini Sign?"  
  
Leo placed his hands over the book again. The pages flipped once more until they opened to the page right next to the one containing 'The Charmed Ones'. Piper began to read out loud again. "The Gemini Prophecy. Considered to be one of the only prophecies more powerful than that of the Charmed Ones, Gemini will produce two children (a boy and a girl) who will command exceptional amounts of power. They can be swayed to either side until the age of 21, at which point their destinies will be sealed and the destruction of the side that they're against will be imminent."  
  
Piper stopped reading and closed the book. All four heads turned simultaneously to the Chimera sitting across from them. Phoebe finally managed to get out the words, "So are you the Prophecy?"  
  
She smiled back grimly and nodded. "Yes. Yes I am. And I've come to change it."  
  
"You're not the only one." Suddenly another, deeper voice rumbled across the room. The girl looked from side to side, trying to judge where it came from. Without warning, someone blinked in next to her and the sisters gasped as they realized that it must be her twin. He had the same physical makeup of claws and tail but no wings. And where her scales were of dark blue coloring, his were a deep red.  
  
"What are you trying to do here Meika?"  
  
She met his glare with one of her own. "I'm trying to make things right. I'm trying to save you Talyn"  
  
"Save me?" He looked at her with a sinister grin full of pity plastered on his face. "It is I who should be saving you. You know our potential, what we can become! If you join me we can be unbeatable. We can rule together. No one will be able to stop us." His look became a little softer at that, the pleading tone more evident. And for just a second, the onlookers were able to see the human side of the monster before them.  
  
Meika curled up her lips in a sneer, never breaking eye contact. "Go to hell."  
  
The human emotion was gone, displaced once again by a sinister scowl. "Gladly. It's much better than the other alternative." He rolled his eyes upwards. "I've never really been a fan of the pearly whites." He leaned closer to her face, his voice dropping to a dangerously low note. "Go home Meika. Don't make me kill you here. You cannot change what is meant to be."  
  
Once again, his female counterpart held his gaze. "THIS is not what is meant to be. Jakkin fooled with something that he was not supposed to mess with. You know that. You may not act like it, but deep down I know that you know that. And I'm going to correct his mistake."  
  
Talyn was livid at her last statement and he trembled with the rage that he sought to contain. He suddenly cocked his head smirked devilishly. "If that is what you truly believe Meika," the face contorted into a hideous leer, "then I hope you are ready to become a martyr for your cause." Suddenly, his tail grabbed her ankle and he threw her to the floor. A darklighter crossbow shimmered into his hands and he pointed it directly at her chest. "You should have gotten rid of your whitelighter weaknesses while you had the chance." He pulled the trigger, but not before she had orbed out from underneath him.  
  
She reemerged behind him and before he could turn around she raised her hands and threw him across the room, scattering Leo and the three sisters. With the crossbow still in Talyn's hand, Leo looked worriedly at his wife. She nodded, understanding the danger that he was in and he quickly orbed out. Talyn climbed up from the floor, holding tightly onto his head where something had gashed his temple. He held up his hand and energy balls formed. He began to throw them rapidly across the room. Meika leapt up, pumping her wings once, and attaching onto the ceiling. She scampered upside-down, dodging the projectiles as his assault continued. He seemed to have a change of mind at that point and formed six energy balls at once. She let with her hands, gripping on to the ceiling with only her taloned feet. Throwing out her arms, the balls all froze in mid-air. She waved her hand lightly and all six immediately extinguished. Talyn blinked again, emerging on the other side of her.  
  
Piper, from her place behind the chair, yelled to Meika to watch out but it was already too late. The energy ball hit her squarely in the back, sending the Chimera flying off the ceiling and into the opposite wall with a crack. She laid there dazed as she tried to get her bearings. Meanwhile, Talyn was distracted by the sound of Piper's voice. He had been so caught up in finding out what his sister was up to that he hadn't bothered to check to see who else was in the room. It was a stupid mistake to make and he knew that Jakkin would be angry at him later.  
  
He paused as he drew nearer and Piper met his gaze, holding it. He stopped moving all together at that point, standing still as if transfixed. From behind the couch with Phoebe, Paige saw her chance. "Athamay," she commanded, and one of the demon knives that had been sitting on the mantle orbed into her hand. She quickly threw it in a line drive at the boy's back. Talyn heard her cry though and turned quickly. He raised his hands and the knife was thrown back right into Paige. She cried out as her knees buckled and she hit the floor.  
  
"Paige!" Phoebe yelled, kneeling next to her fallen sister.  
  
"I'm ok," Paige said, attempting to convince her sister and failing miserably. "Piper."  
  
Phoebe nodded and rose back up. "Hey!" She shouted, hoping to draw Talyn's attention away from Piper. It worked as his gaze shifted once more. She started to back away nervously.  
  
"Phooooeeebe, what are you doing?" Piper questioned.  
  
"I don't know. That was really as far as I got in my plan." Phoebe admitted.  
  
"Well," Piper glanced at the creature in front of her, "Think faster!"  
  
Before Phoebe could even react however, Talyn raised his hand again and she found herself being thrown up to the ceiling, back into the wall, and down to the floor. She groaned loudly as she landed next to Paige. Some bones were definitely broken. Damn. "Leo!" Their whitelighter orbed in almost immediately to help them.  
  
As Talyn turned his attention back to Piper yet again, she raised her hands preparing to blow him up. He saw her action and raised his forearms in front of him. Piper's shot merely bounced off, missing him completely. She glanced at her hands, then looked back up at his amused expression. "Uh- oh."  
  
He smiled slightly, "Damn straight," and continued to advance towards her, outstretching his hand as he did so. She back-peddled until her back hit the wall and she could go no further. And it was then that he stopped. She looked at him, unsure of what was going on. He stood only a few steps in front of her with his hand out in front of him, seemingly ready to give a final deadly blow. But instead he was shaking, having trouble holding his hand up. Looking at his face, Piper could see the conflicting emotions playing across it. Even under the scales of his arms, she could see the effort it was taking him to keep his arm steady. She knew in a second that he did not want to do this. He did not want to kill her. At this point, she doubted that he was even ABLE to.  
  
Silently, Meika crept up to his side. She was amazingly still, careful not to get close enough to spook him into doing something stupid but also near enough so that he could feel her presence.  
  
"Talyn," she spoke softly, all traces of the earlier venom gone from her tone. "You don't want to do this. I know you don't want to. You know what will happen if you do it? Don't let him win. He wants you to do it. That's why you're here. He ordered you to. But you don't want to. That's why you're hesitating. You're fighting his control now. I know that you're strong enough to keep fighting it. Talyn..? Keep fighting ok?" By the time she was done talking, Meika had gradually moved over so that she was standing between Talyn and Piper. Talyn looked at her once, pain in his eyes and arm trembling uncontrollably. He suddenly clutched his head in his hands, raking his short, dark hair through his fingers. He screamed a primal scream, baring his canines at Piper and, against her will, she shuddered.  
  
And in a blink he was gone.  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
Feedback por favor!!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

(Sorry this part took a little longer. I had Chapters 3 and 4 written but decided to go in a completely different direction so I had to start from scratch. Hope you like.)  
  
  
  
  
  
Piper was dumbfounded, "Wha-wha-what was that?"  
  
Meika looked at her. "'That' was my brother. He must have found out that I had come back in time to change things and was trying to stop me." At Piper's perplexed look, she continued. "We have a very.. complex relationship. He may be an instrument of evil and I one of good but he is still my brother and I am still his sister. A part of me will always care about and look out for him."  
  
Phoebe, Paige, and Leo stood up from behind the couch. Piper broadly smiled at them, "Hey! You guys missed the party."  
  
Phoebe looked around confused, "Where'd he go?"  
  
Piper filled all of them in on what had happened.  
  
Paige looked at her thoughtfully, "So let me get this straight, your powers don't work on him." Piper nodded.  
  
"That's bad," Phoebe stated in a small voice.  
  
Paige continued, "And he has really powerful attacks." Piper nodded again.  
  
"That's really bad," Phoebe declared quietly again.  
  
"And, as of now, the only person who we know could possibly vanquish him is his sister who is unwilling to hurt him." Piper nodded a third time.  
  
"And that just sucks," Phoebe sighed under her breath. She furrowed her brow. "What powers do you have anyway?"  
  
Meika looked over at her, counting off on her clawed fingers as she listed them. "I can heal and orb like a whitelighter. Umm. I also have telekinesis, can manipulate time, and can astral project."  
  
Phoebe gave her an approving look. "Wow, impressive."  
  
Meika smiled at her, almost shyly. "Thanks."  
  
"Out of curiosity," Piper interrupted, "If you have all those powers, why didn't you use them earlier? Like when I went to blow you up? All you did was back off and ask me not to. Why not freeze time, move to another part of the room and start it up again? Or astral project your ass out of here?"  
  
Meika gave her a wry, knowing grin. She opened her mouth to say something, then abruptly closed it and Piper could tell that she wasn't going to say what she'd originally intended on. "Well, I didn't want to freak you guys out too bad." She explained. "I mean, I fall through your ceiling with no warning plus the fact that I look like this." Meika gestured to her wings and body. "Now tell me, if I had come in immediately doing magic right and left, would you really have trusted me?"  
  
The sisters glanced at each other knowing that the Chimera had a point.  
  
"Alright, I get that." Paige announced, "But you've got to answer a couple of questions before we go any further."  
  
"I second that." Phoebe proclaimed, holding up her hands. "I'm really confused. And," she couldn't stifle her yawn, "completely exhausted. Could we maybe move this to the kitchen or something? It's kind of messy in here anyway." She added, casting a glance at the dead coffee table and beat up walls.  
  
Piper and Paige both nodded eagerly at the mention of coffee. Phoebe looked over to their guest. "Meika? That ok with you?"  
  
"That sounds great." The Chimera smiled gratefully at them. Phoebe turned to the kitchen, Paige at her heels. Meika followed them, folding her wings tightly to her sides to get through the doorway. Piper fell into step behind her and Leo, who had held back as the others left the room, placed a concerned hand on his wife's arm. She looked up into his worried gaze and smiled tightly. He returned the gesture and let his hand fall from her arm. But as she passed, he protectively placed his hand lightly on the small of her back and trailed her to the kitchen.  
  
Meika stood near the table, looking skeptically at Paige's offered chair. She smiled at the youngest sister. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline. It's the tail, ya know? Makes sitting in chairs a little... uncomfortable." Paige smiled understandingly and turned the chair over to her pregnant sister instead. Piper accepted it gratefully, glad to be able to get off of her feet. Leo remained standing, leaning on the side of the open doorway.  
  
Meika prowled over to the counter and Phoebe, standing closest to her finally noticed how odd she walked. Even though she was up on the balls on her feet, the reason that she wasn't very tall was that she walked with her knees slightly bent, probably to more fully support her cumbersome upper body. And she also walked stooped at a forward angle. Phoebe assumed that it was to compensate for the extra weight of her wings in the back. Meika reached out a hand and poked idly at some of the random bottles strewn across the countertop, tell-tale evidence of the earlier potion attempts. She raised her hands and the surface was instantly clear.  
  
"Hey!" Piper cried indignantly, "Where'd all of our herbs go?"  
  
Meika motioned towards the cabinets, "Back where they belong."  
  
Phoebe's mouth hung open as she looked back and forth between the counter and cabinets several times. "How'd you do that?"  
  
Meika winked at her, "Magic."  
  
Phoebe tried to glare at her, only partially succeeding as her amused grin gave her away. "Well, thanks. I guess. But why'd you do that?"  
  
Meika raised an eyebrow at her. "So I could do this." She opened her wings and lightly leapt up to the countertop. Landing, she wrapped her feet over the edge and perched there, looking over at the table where Piper and Paige sat. Her tail trailed lazily across the top to dangle over the other end and her wings were slightly opened to give her the balance she needed. She smiled. "Much better."  
  
"Whoa." Phoebe said quietly.  
  
"Alright, down to business," Paige stated, trying to take command of the situation. She gave the other girl a once over. "So, where.. Or actually, when did you come from and how old are you?"  
  
"I'm nineteen, almost twenty." The girl replied, ignoring the first question altogether.  
  
Piper murmured, almost to herself. "So if what the book says is true.." She trailed off.  
  
The girl finished her sentence for her. "Then I still have time to convince my brother to change sides."  
  
"So why did you go back in time then?" Leo questioned. "I mean, is Talyn even alive yet? Are you? Shouldn't you be in your present trying to convince him?"  
  
She shook her head, "No, I've tried everything. None of it works, he won't listen to reason. So I decided to come back to the past to see if I could stop everything at the point where it went wrong. Trust me, this was my absolute last choice. I've tried everything else but there is no other way and I'm running out of time. Just to check, the date today is January 12th right?" Phoebe nodded and Meika blew a sigh of relief. "Whew! I was hoping that after all of this I had actually come back to the right date." She looked at them self-consciously. "I'm still working on getting my powers to work just the way that I want them to."  
  
Piper looked up at her with a start. "Wait, you mean that YOU made the vortex?"  
  
Meika nodded in response. "I told you that I can manipulate time. Basic manipulations focus on the speed of molecules, like freezing or blowing things up. More advanced powers can bend actual time, either forwards or backwards. I can essentially time travel to whenever I want. But, of course, time travel does have its repercussions which are why it's not wise to really use that power." Meika added under her breath, "And I probably really pissed off the Elders too with this one." Piper had to smile as she overheard the girl's comment. The Elders really seemed to have a penchant for being really anal about the rules. Meika sighed darkly, "Unfortunately, the ability to travel through time is one power that Talyn and I share. This would have been so much easier if he had just stayed put."  
  
Piper squirmed uneasily in her seat. Something had been tugging at her mind ever since they had moved into the kitchen. It just seemed too strange to her that this girl had so many abilities similar to that of the Charmed Ones. Plus, she had the ability to orb and heal. Leo had told her once that only whitelighters were supposed to have the ability to do those things. So would that make her part whitelighter? And if she WAS part whitelighter AND had powers like the Charmed Ones, could that make her.. Piper inconspicuously glanced down at her stomach.  
  
"Speaking of powers," she said pointedly, "How exactly is it that you can orb? I thought that those are powers that only whitelighters are supposed to have. Are you part whitelighter or something?" She tried to tack the last question on as nonchalantly as possible.  
  
Meika cocked her head and looked at Piper thoughtfully. Looking into the girl's eyes, Piper could see.. something, she wasn't sure what. What she did know was that it was taking the Chimera far too long to answer such a simple question. The girl opened her mouth uncertainly to answer the question, but before she could, Leo interrupted.  
  
"Actually, all Chimeras (or good ones, anyway) have the ability to orb. Because they are so powerful and are generally considered to be guardians, they are sometimes called on to guard places Up There."  
  
Piper kept her eyes on the Chimera the whole time and when Leo was finished talking, the girl quickly nodded in agreement. Piper swore that she saw something along the lines of relief flash through her eyes.  
  
Paige looked at Meika thoughtfully, "So does that mean that Talyn can orb too? Should we be worried about him going Up There and doing stuff?"  
  
Meika quickly shook her head. "Talyn used to have the power to orb. He was originally born good and therefore had it in him. But when he was turned evil, the Elders managed to strip it away from him. Actually, I don't think that you have to worry about him at all. He didn't come here with a specific plan in mind like I did. He's only here because he followed me. Right now, he's either snooping around for Jakkin or spying on us to see what we're up to. I've got bigger problems to worry about."  
  
"WE'VE got bigger problems to worry about." Phoebe quickly corrected her. Piper and Paige nodded their agreement. "You came to us for help. You're one of the good guys. And you seem pretty innocent to me.. innocent enough anyway. NO way are we going to let you do this on your own." A quick glance at her sisters confirmed her resolution. "So, who's this Jakkin guy you keep talking about?"  
  
Meika took a deep breath, preparing herself, before she began. "Jakkin is the one behind this whole problem. He's an upper level demon. Somehow (I'm not sure how), he found out about my mother carrying The Gemini Prophecy. He kidnapped her on January 13th, 2003 and took her down to the underworld. That's why I've come back today. Hopefully I can stop things before they transpire tomorrow."  
  
"Well, why'd he take just her? Why not grab you and your brother and leave your mom behind?" Phoebe questioned.  
  
Meika looked over at her, "Because we weren't born yet. The most effective way to poison a child's mind is before it's even out of the womb."  
  
Piper unconsciously placed one of her hands protectively on her pregnant stomach, not even wanting to imagine the terror that the woman must have felt as her children were stripped away from her very insides. Leo must have sensed her discomfort because he moved closer next to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, relaxing her slightly. "So this guy must be pretty powerful to be able to do something like that huh? Last time that happened it was the Seer and she was a pretty important person." At Meika's confirming nod, Piper continued, "Why haven't we ever heard of this demon before?"  
  
"Well, he was exiled by the Source." Meika stated. "He plotted an uprising against the Source but was found out and imprisoned for eternity in Source's personal dungeon. Like the Portal Being that the Seer released not too long ago." Paige threw her a questioning look, wondering how she knew about that. "And you have just recently vanquished the Source right?" Phoebe held up three fingers and mouthed the words 'Three times' silently. "Well, with no current leader, the underworld is in an uproar. Everyone wants to be Numero Uno. So, several got the idea that releasing those who were powerful enough to oppose the Old Source might give them leverage in attaining a higher position in the new hierarchy. They went through and released all the prisoners."  
  
"And Jakkin knew exactly what he had to do to regain his authority." Piper supplied.  
  
Meika looked at her grimly. "Exactly."  
  
Leo jumped in, "But they vanquished the Source awhile ago. Why is Jakkin just coming around now?"  
  
"Well, he wasn't freed until a couple days ago. But the main reason that he waited was because he needs the power of tomorrow to be able to do the ceremony correctly." Phoebe opened her mouth to ask another question but Meika continued before she could get a word in. "Tomorrow is the mid- point of the pregnancy. That, coupled with the fact that it's a full moon tomorrow night, lends strength to Jakkin's powers."  
  
"Soooo, we need to stop him before tomorrow night." Piper's comment came out as a statement, not a question. She stood up, locking her fingers together and stretching them in front of her. She flexed them open and closed a couple of times. "Alright, let's get down to business. First things first. We'll need to protect your mother. Where's she at?"  
  
Meika shifted slightly on her perch, looking around uncomfortably. "Umm.. that's not really necessary right now. Jakkin won't go after her right away. And I've already messed with the past so much, it's probably better if I get less people involved. The more I reveal about what comes to pass, the more the future changes - either for the good or for the bad."  
  
Leo nodded approvingly, "She's right. The less people in this, the better."  
  
Piper looked back and forth between them. "My, my. Aren't we jumping to her side a little quickly? You're starting to remind me of a Boggle- Head Doll with all the nodding in concurrence that you keep doing with her."  
  
"Piiiper." Leo pleaded. "There are no 'sides' in situations like this. Please, just trust me?"  
  
Piper gave him a small, warm smile. "You know I do. And sorry," she added, "I've got the hormone thing going on again." He bent down to give her a small kiss on the lips.  
  
"Awww.. How cute," Phoebe sighed mockingly, placing a hand over her heart and fluttering her eyelashes, "Now if THAT isn't a Hallmark moment, I don't know what is."  
  
Paige and Meika both giggled as Piper turned and stuck out her tongue at her younger sibling. Phoebe returned the gesture playfully.  
  
"Alright, enough you two." Paige declared with a grin. "Focus." Still grinning happily, the other two turned to look at her. Paige looked over to Meika again. "I know that you don't want us to go after your mother, but how can you be sure that Jakkin won't?"  
  
Meika thought for a moment before replying. "Well, to do the ceremony he has to take her down to the underworld in the Ceremonial Chamber. It's where all big events must be performed, like the Coronation of the Source for example.."  
  
Piper interrupted her, "Been there, done that. We've orbed there before. Paige, do you think you could get us there again?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure I can." Paige replied.  
  
"No, you don't understand." Meika interjected quickly. "Since what happened the last time that good went there - where you got rid of the Source, the Seer, and most upper level demons - the underworld has put new protection spells on that place. It's to assure that ONLY evil can enter. No good, even if brought there by evil, can get in. That way there cannot be a repeat of what happened before."  
  
"So then how does Jakkin plan on getting good in?" Paige asked, once again confused.  
  
"He's going to need help. Even his powers cannot override the protection of the underworld spells. He'll need to use the Staff of Hermes to get her into the Chamber with him."  
  
"Staff of Herpes?" Paige questioned skeptically. "Now that does NOT sound very promising." She heard a snort from across the table as Piper unsuccessfully tried to contain her laughter. Leo and Phoebe were also both struggling to keep straight faces.  
  
Phoebe couldn't help herself, "Oh great, we're battling the God of Venereal Disease. Paige should have the most expertise in this one."  
  
"HEY!!" Paige cried huffily. She held out her hand and called for the ice cubes that were sitting next to the sink. Suddenly, Phoebe found herself with them down the front and back of her shirt.  
  
"Ahhh!!" She tried to reach her hands up her back to pull them out as she hopped around the room. "Cold, cold, cold, cold.."  
  
Meika chuckled as Phoebe danced beside the counter. "HERMES was the messenger god in Greek mythology. He was the only one allowed to go in and out of the underworld at will with his business. The bearer of the staff will be able to pass into and out of the underworld with their 'business'-a witch, in Jakkin's case."  
  
"So where is this Staff?"  
  
"It's at the Smithsonian in DC," Meika replied, "which is both good and bad. Good because it will be easy for us to access it, but bad because it will be just as easy for Jakkin to get to it." Her claws tightened on the countertop as she thought about the demon.  
  
The sisters glanced at one another, knowing that time was of the essence. Piper decided to take charge. "Ok, Leo and I will orb in to the security room and freeze the guards. We'll take care of any cameras from there. With the east coast being..." she trailed off thoughtfully.  
  
"Four hours," Leo whispered in her ear.  
  
"Ah, yes. Thank you. With them being four hours ahead of us, the museum should just be closing. Hopefully we won't have to worry about any innocents getting in the way if Jakkin decides to get nasty. Phoebe and Paige will orb into the... Meika?"  
  
"Ancient Greece section," Meika supplied helpfully.  
  
Piper picked up where she had left off, dropping into a drill sergeant tone. "And from there you will go for the staff. If he hasn't gotten there yet Paige can call for it and you two get out of there ASAP. However if Jakkin IS there," she glanced over at Phoebe, "it'll be time to kick some demon ass." Phoebe nodded determinedly, standing rigidly in a soldier stance. Paige rolled her eyes at the two of them.  
  
Piper concluded, "Get it?" Phoebe nodded. "Got it?" Paige nodded as well. "Good." Piper smiled good-naturedly.  
  
As she stepped to her husband and Phoebe moved towards Paige, preparing to orb, Meika interrupted, "Hey! What am I supposed to do?"  
  
Piper looked at her, "You wait here."  
  
"Like hell I will," Meika answered, pouncing to the floor and straightening up to her full height. "I didn't come all this way just to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while everything goes on. I've come this far. No way am I going to risk messing this one up."  
  
Piper glared at her and Meika hurriedly continued. "And I'm the ONLY one here who knows what Jakkin looks like and what he's capable of. Not to mention what the Staff looks like."  
  
Leo looked at his wife uncertainly before agreeing with the Chimera once again, "Uhhh, she DOES have a point." He smiled wryly at her glare.  
  
Piper looked over at her other sisters. "What do you think?"  
  
Phoebe looked at her broodingly, "I think that it can't hurt to have her along."  
  
"Ditto," Paige agreed.  
  
Piper threw up her hands in frustration and the others couldn't help but flinch slightly. In her mood, her powers could easily get out of hand. Fortunately for them however, nothing around them blew up and they all quickly relaxed. She blew out deep breath to calm down and calmly stated, "Ok, fine. But how are you going to go there looking. well, looking like THAT?" She gestured towards to Chimera's reptilian body.  
  
"Wait, can't you shape-shift or something?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yea," the girl replied. "My Chimera form is far more powerful and I would have an easier time if I had to battle Jakkin. But I do also have powers in my regular human form. If we orb in, I can stay human so that if anyone spots us, we won't raise any more suspicion that necessary. But if Jakkin shows up, I can still change into Chimera form."  
  
"Sweet." Piper answered. "Go for it."  
  
Meika closed her eyes to concentrate and she almost immediately began to change. Her scales all faded into human flesh. The wings and tail were folded up and absorbed into her. Her talented feet and clawed hands changed into normal five-digited appendages. And suddenly standing before them was a normal nineteen-year-old girl. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, elegant in its simplicity. Clothes had formed to replace the strappy, leather halter top and bottoms that the Chimera had worn. She now donned a plain black tank top along with a tight, yet relaxing, pair of jeans.  
  
The girl almost laughed at the stunned expressions of the whitelighter and witches before her. When she smiled, they also noticed that her teeth, which had been sharp and canine before, made a beautiful, straight grin.  
  
Phoebe was latched onto the sight of the girl's boots. "Whoa! Me likey. Where'd you get those from?"  
  
The girl picked up her pant leg to admire the black leather boots. "Penny's. $49.99 on sale from $119.99."  
  
"Ohhh, are they real lea."  
  
"Excuse me!" Phoebe was interrupted by Leo. "Work first, girl talk later please."  
  
"Right, sorry." Phoebe apologized. The girl mumbled one of her own. "Alright, so Meika, Paige, and I will all go together."  
  
The girl looked up at Phoebe, "That's not my name."  
  
"Huh?" Paige inquired. "And by that you mean.?"  
  
The girl hurried to correct herself. "Well, that kind of is my name but not really." At the confused looks of three witches and a whitelighter, she continued, "That's my name when I'm in my Chimera form. Talyn is the same way. When we're in human form, we go by our real names."  
  
"Like Cole and Belthazor.." Phoebe noted softly.  
  
"Exactly." She replied. "Meika is a completely separate aspect of me."  
  
Phoebe cast her skeptical glance. "But can you still control her?"  
  
"Oh yes," the girl reassured her. "It's not like completely separate personalities. It's more like a partnership."  
  
Phoebe nodded, "I see."  
  
Piper tilted her head questioningly, "So then what's your name in human form?"  
  
The Chimera hesitated slightly before answering, "Angela." She glanced around her uncertainly, noting that none of them seemed to notice her pause.  
  
Phoebe smiled at her. "Ok, Angela. Let's go."  
  
"Wait, wait, and wait. Quick question before we do this? How the hell do you know so much?" Paige asked Angela. "You knew about what happened in the Ceremonial Chamber, you knew what I was talking about with the Portal Demon, and now you know about the Cole/Belthazor thing. How do you know all of this stuff?"  
  
"Well," Angela began hesitantly, "You're the Charmed Ones. In the future everyone knows about what you've done." She added slyly with a wink, "I know more than you can imagine."  
  
"Alright," Piper said, "You know that freaking out thing that you were trying NOT to do to us when you first got here? Well, you're doing it now. Let's just go get this thing. We'll worry about the rest later."  
  
The others nodded to her. Leo grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her towards him as he orbed them both out. Phoebe and Paige linked arms. Paige held out her other hand to Angela, but the girl shook her head. "It's easier for you to do one, rather than two. I can still orb in this form. If we don't all arrive together, it might give us the element of surprise over Jakkin." Paige nodded understandingly and orbed her and Phoebe out.  
  
Angela looked upwards, praying for the Elders to watch over them. If they didn't get the Staff now, the rules of the game would become extremely more complicated. She didn't want to think about what they would have to go through then. She hoped that this would be as far as Jakkin got.  
  
Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Angela let the blue lights surround her and the manor was silent once again.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
I LIVE on feedback!!! Let me know! Happy New Year all!!!  
  
Feedback is a necessary evil. 


	4. Chapter 4

(AN: Thank you to everyone who sent feedback. It really is the reason I keep writing. Sorry it took so long to post this but ff.net and my AOL have been having an argument for the past couple days. Hehe.)  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ummm, Leo?" Piper asked, confused. They had just orbed in and found themselves in total darkness.  
  
"Sorry. There were people out in the hallway and in the security room." Leo explained.  
  
Piper nodded, even though she knew that he couldn't see her doing it. "Alright, let's get down to business."  
  
She stepped forward and promptly stepped into a bucket, knocking over brooms and mops with a loud clatter. She would have undoubtedly continued to the floor with them if her husband had not quickly reacted by grabbing her arm. He pulled her roughly back up against him and she gratefully grabbed onto his upper arms to steady herself. "Thanks," she said a little breathlessly.  
  
"Don't mention it," he replied. Suddenly noticing their rather close position, his voice took on a teasing tone. "You know, this closet is rather small.. and private.." His breath was hot against her ear and she shivered despite herself. She could feel his responding grin against her cheek. Even in a time like this he could still not ignore the beauty of his wife.  
  
Reluctantly she pulled back some, smacking him lightly on the chest. "Hey now. Focus." Piper tried to keep a straight face but knew she was failing miserably and that he could hear it. He sighed, feigning disappointment, and she leaned forward to him again. "However, later is another story..."  
  
He chuckled, "I'll hold you to that." He released his grip on her and they both carefully felt their way to the doorknob.  
  
Piper paused before she turned the knob. "Sense anyone now?"  
  
She felt him tense in concentration, and then shake his head. "Nope, all clear."  
  
She breathed a small sigh in preparation and pushed the door open, glancing to the right and left in case Leo had missed someone. He noticed her actions, "What? You don't believe me?" He asked in a mockingly hurt voice.  
  
"I'm just.. being careful." She noted.  
  
"Ah, yes. Careful is good."  
  
They crept out of the cramped closet and Leo led them to the security room. The door was slightly ajar and Piper peeked in. There were five men in the middle of a conversation about sports or something. Piper continued to scope it out for a few more seconds, making sure that she hadn't missed anyone. An overweight, younger man sitting in front of the monitors had just begun to say something to the rest of them. "Yo, guys! I've got a good one for ya. This beautiful blond chick walks into a bar with a dildoe under one arm and a little French Poodle under the other. She sets them both on the bar and the bartender walks up and asks her what she's doing with them. She answers.."  
  
Piper rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. Instantly, the men all froze. "Men." She sighed exasperatedly. Leo looked over at her. "Oh, not YOU honey," she quickly reassured him. They crept into the control room, locking the door behind them.  
  
Leo walked over to the monitors and busily started typing away. The Ancient Greece exhibit soon came up onscreen and, after some searching, they could see the outlines of two people hiding behind a large sculpture. Leo continued typing for a couple more seconds. Finally he straightened up and turned to his wife. "Alright, let's go. I've programmed all the cameras in that section to be on a continuous loop. They won't be recording anything new and will just show the same thing all the time from up here."  
  
Piper cocked her head thoughtfully, "Leeeoooo... how'd you.? You don't have time to be at home that often yet you have time to learn all about computers?? What exactly do you DO up there?"  
  
Leo shrugged, "Phoebe helped me out some. Apparently to get in touch with my 'inner 21st century child', as she put it." They heard someone jiggling the doorknob and then keys being jingled. "C'mon, we've got to get out of here."  
  
Piper stepped up to him. "Hold on," she added, as she reached over and gave the man who had been telling the joke a solid slap on the back of his head. "And you kiss your mother with that mouth," she scolded disapprovingly, adding some tsk-tsking at the end. She grabbed Leo's hand and they orbed out, unfreezing the guards, as the door burst open.  
  
************  
  
Phoebe and Paige waited patiently in the exhibit. They had arrived just minutes after the museum had announced the closing for the night and the two had had to hide while the curators swept through, on the prowl for lingering guests. They had seen Angela briefly since their arrival. But she had gotten caught and had been escorted out by an usher. They assumed that she would quickly find her way back.  
  
They both held their breaths as a final security guard went through the room, doing one last check. "Sector Seven secure," he said gruffly into his walky-talky and stepped out of the room. Immediately, metal security doors began to slide down in every doorway. They locked shut with a resounding crack. Phoebe had had time to see what other security measures could be around and she stealthily made her way over to a small panel on the opposite wall. With less than half of the way to go, she heard a sharp buzzing noise start.  
  
"Phoebe!" Paige hissed at her. "Don't move!" Phoebe looked down and whimpered slightly when she saw how close the laser grid had come to her pant leg. She edged it back, careful not to hit the beam behind her. Concentrating, Phoebe slowly levitated herself up and across the laser grid. She sensed Paige clapping happily behind her. When she reached the box Phoebe carefully opened it, hoping that it wasn't going to be too confusing. Luck was with her however. The switches were clearly marked ON and OFF for several items. She breathed a small sigh of relief and reached out to flip all that she could to the OFF position.  
  
When she was finished, she lowered herself to the floor and gave Paige a thumbs-up. Paige quickly walked over to her. "One obstacle down," Paige murmured. "One to go."  
  
Leo and Piper orbed in next to them. Piper looked around apprehensively, "I assume that you guys waited until we had messed up the cameras right?"  
  
Phoebe nodded, "Yea, we were watching. Once the red light went bye- bye for a couple seconds, we knew that it was ok."  
  
Piper nodded. "Where's Mei... Angela?"  
  
Phoebe and Paige shrugged. "I dunno. One of the curator people led her out. We haven't seen her since?"  
  
"You LOST her?? Why didn't she hide with you?" Piper interrupted before they could answer her question. "Never mind. We've got a demon to worry about now." They heard a scratching noise above their heads and all immediately looked up, prepared for battle.  
  
"Meika!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Could you at least warn us?"  
  
The Chimera grinned and shrugged slightly, "Sorry. I've been up here for awhile, waiting for you guys." Her claws dug into the ceiling as she made her way across it, clinging upside down. "The Staff is over here."  
  
The four on the floor followed her path until they reached a large glass case on the far wall. There were about two dozen staffs and similar objects in the large display case and Phoebe, for one, was glad that Meika had come along to point it out right away. The Chimera indicated to one that was slightly behind several others, almost right in the middle.  
  
Made of silver, instead of gold, it wasn't nearly as impressive looking as the ones around it. The Staff was dwarfed by the size and color of the others in the case. But what made it catch their eyes were the carvings on it. It rested on several silver serpent heads, ruby eyes glittering and fanged mouths open to make a stable support. The snaked bodies wound upwards, elegantly intertwining until they became rougher up towards the top. It was here that the serpents turned into a different beast. And the top of the staff sported the heads of Cerberus. Each head of the three-headed guard dog of Hell was turned upwards to clasp onto a pointed crystal secured on top. The gem almost seemed alive. Even when observers weren't moving, the colors constantly were, going from a deep blood red to a midnight blue.  
  
Piper whistled softly. "Daaaaamn." Her sisters nodded their agreement. They looked at each other. "Phoebe, you take that side." Piper pointed to the left. "Paige, you take the other."  
  
"Gotcha." They answered simultaneously.  
  
"We'll," she pointed to herself and Leo, "stay a little farther back to cover you." Piper glanced up to the ceiling. "And you.." Meika raised an eyebrow at her. "You just chill around up there." The Chimera nodded and they all broke up to go to their respective positions.  
  
  
  
************  
  
Two hours later, Phoebe was bored. Bored out of her mind. She could barely make out Paige's outline across the way and had the sneaky suspicion that Paige had dozed off one or two times during their vigil. She didn't even WANT to think about what Piper and Leo could possibly be doing back where ever they were. Phoebe glanced up at Meika who was still calmly attached to the ceiling. The Chimera glanced down at her and raised one clawed hand to her head like she was holding a gun. Putting it to her head, she pulled the fake trigger and pretended to go limp. Phoebe grinned. At least someone else was as tired of doing this as she was. She sighed silently and shifted position for the bajillionth time, not at all surprised to find that her leg had fallen asleep yet again.  
  
The air around them grew cold, and a slight mist began to snake through the room. "Uh-oh." Phoebe whispered. "That's never good." She shivered and rubbed her arms, more from the anticipation rather than the draft. Suddenly a demon shimmered in a few feet in front of the case. Phoebe and Paige were hidden in the shadows almost directly next to him on either side.  
  
They were slightly taken in by his appearance. They had imagined Jakkin to be like most demons they encountered, dark and daunting or old and weathered. This one, however, was neither. His short, bleach blond hair, bronze tan, and impressive physique made him seem like more of a surfer than any demon. But when he glanced from side to side, Phoebe and Paige were immediately reminded of his demon nature when they saw his dead, black eyes. There was no white on his eyeballs and Phoebe was afraid that they would suck her right in as his gaze bore into the darkness where she was hiding. She shrunk back, holding her breath, and her back pressed tightly against the cool granite behind her.  
  
Seemingly satisfied that there was no one there, the demon once again returned his attention to the case before him. Something hit his back and he was pushed forward slightly before standing up straight again and whipping around. Piper was standing with hands upraised. "He didn't blow up." She whispered to Leo who was still in their hiding place.  
  
"Well, freeze him!" Leo whispered back.  
  
She threw out her hands. Jakkin froze for only a second before he pulled out of it. Leo stepped towards his wife. She tried to freeze him again but it seemed that he had become prepared. Jakkin held his hand up in front of his face his palm facing outwards and fingers spread. "Aversia," he whispered and the blow was deflected. Leo and Piper were instantaneously frozen in place.  
  
Phoebe heard Paige whisper "Oh crap" just a little too loudly. Jakkin's head snapped around to the sound. He flicked his hand and the sister was thrown through the air, into the solid wall behind her. She slid to the ground unconscious. Phoebe took her opportunity. She ran two steps and levitated up, aiming a strong kick at the back of the demon's head. Caught unaware, Jakkin fell to his side, yelling in both pain and anger. Phoebe stood defensively between him and the case. Jakkin stood back up, black blood dripping down his face where Phoebe's boot heel had caught him.  
  
She sucked in her breath. He was a lot taller than he had looked from her sitting position on the floor. An energy ball formed in his hand and he smiled evilly. One by one, he threw them at her and she flipped easily out of the way. The final one managed to hit her in the back though and she cried out as she slumped down to the floor.  
  
Jakkin breathed in and out angrily. "Witches," he growled to no one in particular. "What a damn nuisance." He glanced at the form on the floor in front of him thoughtfully. "As much as it would please me to rid the world of you..." an energy ball formed in his hand, "I don't have the time now." He closed his gloved hand and extinguished it.  
  
He began to walk again towards the case.  
  
"Perhaps you can make time for me." Meika hissed from above. Jakkin looked up just in time see a flash of scales and wings before he found himself on his back. She was ripping into him with her claws and he cried out in pain. He shimmered out from beneath her. "Damn." She whispered.  
  
She stood up, looking around guardedly. He shimmered back into view behind her, in front of the Staff's case. She saw him raise his hands and the energy balls formed in his hand. He threw five at once at her and she raised her hands to freeze them. Much like Jakkin himself had done earlier with Piper, the energy balls froze for only a second before continuing on their course. It was long enough though to allow Meika to jump out of the way. She tucked her wings in close to her body and scampered on all fours to hide on the other side of the room.  
  
Jakkin grinned. "Witches are just witches. I think I can make time for YOU though. Killing a Chimera will really help me out in the underworld." He began to advance towards her hiding place. Meika had been counting on his coming for her. She leaned back against the case, panting from her efforts and holding her bleeding arm where a stray energy ball had hit. Jakkin laughed at her as he drew closer, "Ha! One of Good's most powerful beings HIDES instead of fights! And THAT is why good will always loose."  
  
Meika looked at a reflection in the case across from her, showing Jakkin's progress. She willed him to come a few more steps forward. He reached it. "Bingo," she whispered, smiling. Her head slumped forward and she astral projected herself back over to Phoebe. She glanced at the prone figure on the floor, noting the shallow breaths, and was relieved. Meika focused her attention on the statue that Phoebe had been hiding behind. The stone Griffin and Sphinx glared back at her. She raised her hands beckoningly. "Ky asha ve'nique. Armad'aka niet da solnah," she murmured.  
  
Jakkin heard the whispers back behind him and turned around confused. He repeated her words, trying to decipher them. "Brother and sister beings of mine. Take heed and inhabit your forms again."  
  
"Varsa kine sheal molka, arh va'hasheem gri ta."  
  
"I call upon your power and strength, against the evil we must defend." Jakkin trailed off as she finished.  
  
Meika still stood in front of the statutes with her hands raised out. The Griffin blinked, the Sphinx winked, and they both arose. Meika threw her hand out in Jakkin's direction, indicating to him. "Phay ghyniel," she commanded and they instantly obeyed.  
  
Jakkin took a quick step back, aghast as the two stone beings rose up before him. The Griffin, with the back end of a lion and front and wings of an eagle, immediately went after the demon. The lioness Sphinx, however, stayed behind and ducked into the shadows. Jakkin shimmered away from his attacker and came back to stand in front of the case. He was barely even fully formed yet when the Griffin slammed into him, cracking his head against the concrete floor. The Griffin screamed in conquest as its stone talons dug into the demons back. Jakkin screamed painfully in return. "Tylack," he spit, through his grinding teeth. One of the rear feet of the Griffin swent flying out from under it, and the beast went crashing to the ground. Jakkin shimmered out from underneath and snarled as the stone creature thrashed about of the floor, unable to righten itself.  
  
He heard a roar from behind and the Sphinx was on top of him, pinning him to the side of the glass case. A slight cracking, like the sound of thin ice gradually breaking, began. And suddenly, both the Sphinx and the demon found themselves inside the case amongst the broken glass. Meika, attempting to help the Griffin to its feet, froze in anticipation of the alarms. But none came (Phoebe must have switched them off with the lasers) and she was thankful for that small favor.  
  
She finally helped stone creature to his feet and turned around to check on the Sphinx's progress. The lioness had the demon pinned on his back to the bottom of the case. Staffs were strewn everywhere. Her massive, stone claws raked across his body and a few managed to get his face as well. He screamed angrily as the blood continued to flow out of his wounds, running into his eyes and pooling onto the floor. His left hand grasped the staff closest to him. Jakkin quickly slammed the pointed gold baton into the bottom of the creature's chin. The Sphinx threw her head upward, rearing back and screaming in pain. Even in stone, the sharpened blade could still penetrate. Jakkin took his opportunity and looked around desperately. Meika knew exactly what he was looking for and her eyes hurriedly searched for the Staff of Hermes amongst all the others.  
  
They found it at the same time and Meika leapt for it. But Jakkin was closer and he quickly slid out from under the writhing Sphinx. His bloodied hand gripped the Staff. Jakkin turned, looked Meika in the eye, and smiled triumphantly. The crystal on the end immediately went from blue to deep blood red at Jakkin's touch.  
  
"NO!!" Meika cried, hand outstretched as she continued through the air. But it was too late and she landed on empty ground as Jakkin and the Staff both shimmered away. "DAMN IT!!" Meika shouted in frustration, slamming her hand onto the concrete so hard that she heard her own bones snap. She bowed her head, fighting back the frustrated tears. She had been so close; so close to stopping him. Meika looked up slowly, trying to regain her composure.  
  
Piper and Leo had both unfrozen as soon as Jakkin had left. Piper was helping an unsteady Paige to her feet and Leo was quickly healing Phoebe's wound. All four looked uncertainly around, first at the stone creatures, then at Meika. Meika shook her head sadly at their questioning glances and turned to the Sphinx beside her who was still howling in pain. "Pija," she softly begged it. And the creature was instantly still. Deep, hard breaths came from the Sphinx as Meika placed her hands on the stone head. A warm, golden glow began to spread and the Sphinx relaxed, sighing contentedly while the Chimera healed her wound.  
  
Piper broke the silence, "Wha.wha..wha..?" She trailed off, not even able to finish one word as the Griffin looked over at her, cocking its head curiously.  
  
Meika smiled sadly. "Don't worry. They won't hurt you. I needed to call for some.. reinforcements. Too bad it didn't do much good." She placed her forehead solemnly against the Sphinx's head in front of her. The Griffin came up to join them. Meika stepped away and bowed deeply to them both. "Kar'ish." She thanked them.  
  
The two stone beasts respectfully returned her gesture with a deep nod of their own. Then they turned and went back to their respective posts. The Sphinx yawned, baring her fangs, before stilling again permanently. The Griffin stood proudly at attention and gave one last defiant scream before settling back down into its stone slumber.  
  
The Charmed Ones and their whitelighter stared at her until she was afraid that their eyes were going to pop out of their heads. She tried to shrug it off nonchalantly, "I'm more powerful than them. So I can call upon them when I really need their help."  
  
Paige looked at the two, now silent, stone creatures. "That." it was the first words that any of them had said thusfar, "that was.. Awesome!"  
  
Phoebe smiled. "Ditto."  
  
"Yea," Leo repeated. They heard footsteps outside of the metal security door. "Uh-oh. We've got company. I don't know about you guys but I don't really want to be around when they come through that door to find one of their exhibits smashed up and stolen from." The others all nodded their heads in agreement. Everyone grabbing on to everyone else, they quickly orbed out just as the security codes were punched in and the door began to rise.  
  
************  
  
More than a thousand miles (and only a few seconds) later, they found themselves at the Manor. It was still only eight or nine o'clock a night, but all of them, especially Piper, were beginning to feel the strain of the day. As their feet hit the solid wood floor, she all but collapsed into a nearby chair at the kitchen table. Leo held securely onto her waist though and eased her down. He glanced at her worriedly, knowing that she must be under a good deal of stress. She tried to give him a small smile to reassure him, but he was still left feeling discomforted.  
  
Phoebe and Paige went straight to the coffee pot. They glanced sympathetically at their older sister, knowing that it must be killing her not to be able to drink coffee. She nodded understandingly though and they continued to make their cups. Meika on the other hand, tore open the refridgerator door. She immediately began pulling item after item out of it and went around the kitchen hurriedly fixing things to eat. Paige looked at her puzzled, "Umm. it's ok. You don't have to fix us anything to eat. We've already had dinner."  
  
Meika threw her an amused look. "Ha! Who said anything about this being for you? I'm starving."  
  
Piper looked over the array of leftovers, snacks, cookies, and sandwiches. Meika was readily consuming them all. Piper's resulting nausea as she watched the Chimera eat brought back some rather disturbing memories from the morning sickness period in her first trimester. She pushed the thought aside and called out. "I'd be careful what I ate if I was you. Some of that is Phoebe's cooking (The edibility's kind of questionable)."  
  
"Hey!" Phoebe exclaimed, throwing a dishrag in her sister's direction. Piper laughed as she caught it. Phoebe glanced back over to the counter and made a face as Meika wolfed down her fifth sandwich in several minutes. "How the hell can you eat all that and stay so damn skinny?" She asked, indicating to the girl's slender form.  
  
"Mmhhmhmm.." Meika mumbled, holding up one clawed digit as she tried to swallow first. "I have an extremely high metabolism in my Chimera form. When I start to do a lot of magic, like what I did earlier with the statues and shape shifting from form to form, it really drains me. So I'm trying to make up for it now by earning back some of the calories." She finished her explanation by taking a large bite out of a nearby plate of leftover pasta.  
  
Leo looked at her, the weariness evident on his face. Piper noticed it and placed her hand comfortingly over his one on her shoulder. It still amazed her that even an angel could get so exhausted and tired. "So what do we do now?" He asked the still feasting Meika. "I mean, Jakkin has the Staff. You said that you had hoped to stop it there but we couldn't. So what are we going to have to do now?"  
  
Meika looked at him thoughtfully, almost sadly, as she slowly finished chewing the last of her sandwich. She swallowed and said, "I guess that we're going to have to protect my mom now." She ended the sentence with disappointed sigh. "I really didn't want to involve her though. She's had to deal with so much up to this point already."  
  
"Well, she has got to know." Piper argued. "She didn't know in the past and wasn't able to protect herself. At least this way it will give her a fighting chance. C'mon."  
  
Meika glanced around hesitantly and Phoebe jumped in, "This isn't still about the whole 'don't mess with the past' thing is it? Because I think that you're already in too deep to do much about that one. You've fiddled around in the past too much already to try and get out of it clean now. You might as well go all out."  
  
"My mom wouldn't like it." Meika tried to explain. "She's told me time and time again NOT to go and mess around with the past."  
  
Piper leaned forward slightly and gently prodded, "If she knew the reason that you're doing what you're doing, I'm sure that she'd understand. In fact, she would probably even be impressed by the extent of your determination to make things right. Tell us Meika. What's her name? Who is she?"  
  
Meika looked up and met Piper's gaze, unshed tears glistening brilliantly as her dark brown eyes met Piper's. She whispered so soft that her voice cracked emotionally and Piper almost missed it.  
  
"You."  
  
Piper just stared back, open mouthed at the creature before her. Her breathing became quick and irregular as she tried to laugh. To her though, it came out almost maniacal. Piper pulled her head up and back, her eyes darting around wildly. Suddenly, everything began to catch up with her at once: the stress from the pregnancy, the lack of sleep, demon hunting, time traveling prophecies, and now.. this. The edges of her vision became fuzzy and she desperately wanted to fight against the impending darkness. But it was so welcoming and Piper found that all she wanted to do was let it take her.  
  
Closing her eyes, she gave into the abyss. And the last thing she heard was her name being yelled by her husband, sisters, and.. daughter.  
  
And then there was nothing.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
Feedback perhaps? Pretty please with sprinkles on top? And a cherry if you're really nice.  
  
(AN: Yes, yes. I know that some of you guessed what was going to happen but I just couldn't help myself. This next part though might take a little longer because it's got so much stuff that I'm going to have to remember to put in it. So just bear with me for a bit, k?) 


	5. Chapter 5

(AN: Wow, SOOOOO sorry it took this long but Writer's Block is a bitch! Add that to other problems and fanfic just isn't as easy to write. Thanks so much to all who sent me feedback!)  
  
  
  
Piper opened her eyes slowly, trying to gain her bearing. It was dark, but not dark enough that she didn't realize where she was. She had somehow gotten into her bed, still fully clothed with a blanket pulled up securely around her. Shifting her weight slightly, Piper noted the pair of arms that were draped around her waist as her husband spooned behind her. She couldn't remember how she had gotten there. She had been in the kitchen and then.. Oh God.  
  
Piper swallowed hard and closed her eyes against the flood of emotions. Her hand came up to rest protectively on the slight bulge of her stomach. One of them shifted slightly inside of her. She almost laughed bitterly at her thoughts. THEM. Now there was two, when only hours before hand there had been only him or her. How was she supposed to deal with all this? She could deal with the twin part. And, after some assessment, she could even come to terms with the Chimera part of it. But to be the Gemini Prophecy?  
  
She and her sisters had been blessed enough to have a normal, magic free childhood. They were able to grow up as normal as possible, even with the whole Charmed Ones thing. Piper had wanted to be able to give that to her children too. She and Leo had even reached a point of agreement of binding their powers. Obviously though, that wasn't going to happen.  
  
Piper could taste the salt in her mouth and realized that she was crying. Unbidden, the tears had begun to run silently down her cheeks. Piper couldn't take it. She didn't want to be strong right now, like she always was. Her shoulders began to shake as she gave in to her sobs.  
  
Instantly, Leo's arms tightened around her. His face pressed into the crook of her neck, murmuring comfortingly. She lost herself in his protective hold and let the tears come completely, her body heaving as sob after sob washed over her. After a while, no more tears came and Piper took deep breaths to try to steady her shakiness. Leo still held her from behind and she clung desperately to the strong arms around her. He began to rock her gently back and forth, silence descending upon the room.  
  
"I, uh," Piper sniffed gently, trying to put the last of her composure in place. "I didn't wake you up did I?"  
  
"No," Leo admitted, his response tickling her neck. "Actually, I haven't been able to do much more than doze on and off a couple of times. I've been too busy worrying about you." He picked up his head from its resting place and put his hand on her cheek to turn her eyes to meet his. "You had us all really worried for awhile there. We weren't sure if something was wrong with you or the baby..." He trailed off then continued teasingly. "I should probably say 'babIES' shouldn't I?"  
  
"Yea," Piper replied, chuckling lightly. It felt good to laugh. "And here we thought that we would have trouble making just one. Little did we know..."  
  
Her gaze sobered as she finished her sentence. Leo noticed and reached his head down to give her a quick, loving kiss on the lips. He pulled back only a little, their breaths intermingling as he gently spoke. "Hey, we'll get through this alright? Look how many obstacles we've overcome already."  
  
Piper gave him a small smile, more to reassure herself than him. "I know. It's just that there are so many things being thrown around all at once. I don't know how much longer I can do this." Leo nodded in silent support. His wife sighed deeply, dropping her eyes from his gaze to focus on his chest. She couldn't deal with all of this now. Changing the subject quickly she asked, "So what happened down in the kitchen? How long have I been out?" Her eyes glanced back up to his.  
  
Leo noticed the diversionary tactic but didn't push his wife. He knew that she would talk to him when she was ready to. He rolled them both over until they were facing one another. Picking up one of her hands in his, he began to idly play with her fingers while he talked. "Well you passed out a good four or five hours ago. We weren't sure what was wrong but Phoebe seemed to think that you were really stressed out and hadn't eaten anything in awhile. She mumbled something about a potion but I didn't really catch it." Piper nodded. God, that potion making had seemed forever ago even though it had only been earlier in that evening. "We all decided that it would be better to let you get some rest, rather than waking you up. So I orbed us up here and tucked you in."  
  
Piper looked down at their hands, intertwining her fingers with his. "Thank you." She sighed thoughtfully, furrowing her brow. "So I guess that Phoebe and Paige are demon hunting or something."  
  
Leo shook his head. "Meika.. Angela...well she said that Jakkin won't attack until some time tomorrow. It will take him a little while to figure out how to use to Staff and to finish up on all his spells. Besides, he's going to need the full moon from tomorrow night.  
  
Piper nodded before hesitantly asking, "And where's...?" She didn't know what to call the girl now. Piper would feel wrong calling the girl her daughter.  
  
"She's down in the living room." Leo answered. "She opted to take the couch for the night."  
  
Piper was silently for a few minutes, looking down again at their hands, and Leo patiently waited, knowing that she wanted to say something. Finally, she spoke. "I'm a failure Leo," she whispered quietly.  
  
"What?" Leo asked aghast. How could she say something like that after all she'd done? "Piper, Honey, you are not."  
  
He was cut off by her spitting out sharply, "Yes, I am Leo! I'm a failure as a mother and that girl downstairs is proof of that! You heard about what she's been through. You heard about everything that she's had to do and she's only twenty years old Leo! She should be out enjoying life, enjoying growing up. I should be the one making sure of that! But, obviously, I guess I'm just not cut out for the job." Piper was once again in hysterics, choking on her words as she bitterly spit them out. "I mean, our son's kidnapped before he's even born and.."  
  
"NO! Piper, stop it!" Leo interrupted forcefully. Piper looked up at him, startled, and then quickly dropped her gaze again. She had never heard the tone in his voice before. "Piper, look at me." She didn't move and he repeated again. "LOOK at me." She looked up and was surprised to see the sheen of tears in his eyes. "YOU are NOT a failure. None of those things were your fault and I know that you tried your damnedest to protect your children. Our children."  
  
"How could you know? How could you possibly know?" Piper hissed angrily.  
  
"Because I talked with our daughter." Leo stated. He added in a gentler tone, "And I think you should too."  
  
Piper shook her head anxiously, "No. I can't." She looked into Leo's pleading face again before softly repeating. "I can't Leo. Not now."  
  
"Piper," Leo answered, "I don't think there's going to be any time other than now. If you don't talk to her before tomorrow, I don't think that you'll be able to talk to her at all." Piper opened her mouth to protest again but Leo cut her off. "You're strong enough to do this. I know you are."  
  
Piper's mouth snapped shut. She sniffed one last time, wiping away the last traces of her tears. She nodded determinedly to her husband and he bent over to place one more tender kiss on her forehead. Piper pushed herself out of bed, shedding off her clothes and pulling her bathrobe out of the closet. She tied the belt securely around her waist before stepping out into the hallway. She quickly shut the door behind her and began hurriedly walking to the stairs, knowing that if she took too long, she would almost certainly lose her nerve.  
  
************  
  
She knew that Piper would eventually come. Ever since she had talked to her father a few hours ago, Angela had known that her mother would come with questions of her own. But no amount of time could prepare her for this encounter.  
  
It had been so odd to walk around in this house again, talking with her aunts and parents while pretending that she wasn't anything to them. There were so many things here that reminded her of her childhood. Angela had always prided herself on being able to push away all the feelings that would cloud her judgment or make her weak. But now, not even she could bury the overwhelming feelings of nostalgia. There was the antique vase that she had broken when she was seven, first practicing her growing telekinetic powers. There was the parlor where her parents had renewed their vows to one another only months before (although it now felt like an eternity ago). There were the herbs sitting all over the counter, reminding her of fun times spent cooking up potions with her aunts while her mother was at work. Twenty years of happiness in this house almost erased by two days of hell.  
  
Angela heard a creak behind her (the third floorboard to the left that had given her away when she tried to sneak out to a concert at sixteen). She turned, not quite knowing what to expect from the woman in the doorway. Piper met her gaze, expression neutral, and moved to sit in one of the chairs across from the girl. She sat, immediately pulling up her knees to her chest. She couldn't think of anything to say to this girl across from her; this girl with her hair and smile, but with Leo's gorgeous eyes. This girl was growing inside of her right now. She couldn't help but graze a hand over her stomach.  
  
"So." Piper began lamely. "I've been talking to Leo some. He, uh, told me that you two had a little talk earlier?"  
  
Angela nodded shyly. She too seemed at a loss for words.  
  
Piper bit her bottom lip nervously. She needed to start out with something small, something to begin the conversation. Something that had been nagging the very back of her mind for a while jumped out at her. "I have to ask you this. So, when you were born were you actually human? Or did you come out as a umm.. Well, you know."  
  
Angela smiled and the two instantly felt lighter. "I came out looking like a normal, healthy, human baby." She reassured her mother. "Actually, I didn't even start to show Chimera qualities until I was about a year old. Aunt Phoebe used to tell me the story all the time about the first time that you guys saw my wings." She shook her head, chuckling at the memory.  
  
"What happened?" Piper asked, intrigued.  
  
"Well, you like totally freaked out. You kept going 'She's a demon! Oh my God! What's wrong with her?? She's dying!' Luckily Dad was there though. The Elders must have warned him that something was going to happen. He kept running all around after you going 'Piper, Honey, it's ok. Everything's ok. She's fine.' Then you got SO pissed off at him when he admitted that the Elders had hinted at it. You kept constantly freezing him for like three hours because you didn't want to talk to him. After the initial concern had died down, my Aunts thought it was hysterical."  
  
"I bet." Piper rolled her eyes, picturing her sisters dealing with the situation. She was relieved however that the baby had been born human. If not, it probably would have really freaked the doctors... "Umm, another question. Were Phoebe and Paige my.." She grimaced at the thought, "Midwives?"  
  
Angela laughed loudly, "No way. They wanted to be. But after you went into labor, you started screaming for drugs and doctors and drugs and hospitals. and did I mention drugs? When the really bad contractions started, you started blowing up things in the house (accidentally of course) but they all got worried so Dad orbed you over to Eva's."  
  
Once again, Piper was relieved. As much as she loved and trusted her sisters, she was not at all looking forward to them being her midwives. Piper now had about a million and one questions that popped into her head to ask her daughter. She didn't even know where to begin. She decided to start at the beginning, or actually the present.  
  
"So, I'm your mother." She clarified. Angela nodded. "And Talyn's your brother." Angela nodded again, knowing where this was going. "So Talyn is. my son?"  
  
"Yea," Angela confirmed. "That's why he couldn't kill you earlier. Only someone completely evil could kill their own mother. And he's not that. If Dad had stayed in the room, Talyn probably wouldn't have hurt him either."  
  
Piper was confused. Something wasn't adding up. "But Jakkin took him from me before he was even born. How would he know who I am?"  
  
Angela sighed, sobering. "And that's where the real story begins."  
  
Piper gave her a questioning look.  
  
"When Jakkin stole my brother, he raised him as his own son. But, of course, when Talyn got older he had questions about his mother. I mean, powerful as Jakkin is, he's not asexual or anything. But Jakkin wouldn't answer any of his questions. He just kept blowing Talyn off, telling him that it didn't matter. Eventually, Talyn had had enough and demanded to know. Jakkin lied to him. He told my brother that his parents had abandoned him. Tried to kill him even. Jakkin had saved him from certain death and despair. Talyn wanted to know who his family was so that he could go and talk to them to figure things out. Even after years of living with Jakkin, he was still so innocent. He was confused. But Jakkin forbade it and told him that his family was all dead. Jakkin said that he was the only family that Talyn had."  
  
Piper felt nauseous as the anger swept through her. She didn't know how anyone could tell a child a lie like that. She felt one of the lives within her stir and tried to keep her emotions in check to soothe them. "So what happened?"  
  
"Well, Jakkin had always considered Talyn to b his number one.. Commodity; like he was merely a possession or something." Angela sneered bitterly. "He had Talyn under tight guard for his entire life. Eventually, Talyn got bored with the magic that Jakkin had ordered him to practice. He wanted company. He wanted people to talk to. Talyn started to eavesdrop on the guards conversations. It was inevitable that he would eventually find out about everything. One of the older guards was explaining things to a new demon. Talyn heard everything. He knew about the Gemini Prophecy and, more importantly, he found out about his family. He knew that Jakkin had been lying to him and that's when he started to pull away from evil."  
  
"Well, if Talyn has never been out of the underworld... how do you know all of this?"  
  
Angela smiled. "Because he came to see me. Talyn has the ability to clone himself, a rather useful attribute if you ask me. He left his clone down in the underworld to do Jakkin's training. My brother knew that guard's routines better than they did. He easily slipped by until he could shimmer out without being detected." Angela quickly explained, "When he was in the womb, he had whitelighter blood like me so he had the ability to orb. But once Jakkin stole him, the Elders called back all whitelighter attributes that he might have retained. So Jakkin gave him the power to shimmer instead."  
  
Piper nodded, stunned.  
  
"I met my brother for the first time when I was eighteen years old." Angela whispered. "Isn't that sad? The things that Jakkin took away from him. The things that he took away from us. He shimmered into the Manor while I was home alone and I was so close to trying to vanquish his ass. Thank God I stopped. Once we figured out who we were, we were ecstatic. He asked me so many questions - about you and Dad and Phoebe and Paige. He wanted to know everything about the years that had been stolen from him. But after he heard about how his parents and aunts fought against evil, he was too ashamed to meet you. He promised that he would come back and eventually meet the rest of the family."  
  
Angela stopped and sniffed back the tears. "I realized that I didn't even know his name. He told me that Jakkin had never given him one. In Chimera form, of course, he knew his name was Talyn. But in human form, Jakkin had always just called him 'boy.' I told him what you and Dad were planning on naming him and he loved it." Angela smiled tearily. "Before he left, I made him take a picture with me. Pieces of Aunt Prue's old photography equipment were all over the house. It's the only picture that I have of him." She added with a sad smile. "I hope that I might have more someday soon."  
  
The girl reached out her hand, a piece of paper in it. Piper leaned to her and took the photograph slowly. She flipped it over to look and gasped, bringing her hand up to her mouth. They were beautiful. Her children were beautiful. The camera must have been on a timer because the two of them were standing casually in the parlor, hands around each other's waists. They were smiling and Piper immediately noticed that Angela wasn't the only one who had inherited her father's eyes. His sandy, dirty blond hair was also one of his father's attributes. He looked so much like Leo that Piper swore she would always think of him as an angel, no matter how evil he became. Piper found it hard to believe that the boy in the picture could be anything but good. He was smiling broadly, happily and Piper could almost see them all sitting around joking at the breakfast table.  
  
She flipped the photo over and read what was scrawled on the back. 'Prudence Angela Halliwell and Parker Wyatt Halliwell - August 2021'. "Hmmm.. So I did keep the name thing going." Piper murmured.  
  
"Yea. You and Dad had already broken so many rules and things, you both figured that you should try to keep at least one tradition alive." Angela teased. "Besides, Dad was never really a big fan of Melinda."  
  
"Well, to be honest, neither was I." Piper admitted. "It was just a thought. I can see where Prudence and Wyatt come from. I guess Angela was..?"  
  
"Your idea actually. You thought that it would be good to have something of Dad's in my name too."  
  
"Oh yes. My Angel. What would I do without him?" Piper grinned wryly. She tried to get back to the story. "So Tal.. I mean, Parker." She smiled as she said her son's name for the first time. She loved it. "What did he do after he found out that Jakkin had lied to him about everything?"  
  
"He wanted to leave," Angela explained. "But it was hard. I mean, like it or not, Jakkin had raised him. Jakkin had been his entire family for eighteen years. No matter how much he had been lied to, Parker felt that he couldn't just turn his back on him. But that was the beginning of the deterioration of their relationship. My brother got away whenever he could, leaving his clone to do Jakkin's spells and such. He never actually met you and Dad face to face but he asked about you ALL the time. I kept trying to get Parker to come back, to live with his family. But regardless of how much good was in him and how much he wanted to come back, Jakkin still controlled a part of him that had been corrupted in the very beginning of his life. So he didn't come back but he did visit as much as he could. That went on for about a year.. Until Jakkin found out about it.  
  
"The clone had been practicing some illusion spells. It didn't know any better. It ended up blowing itself up. Jakkin must have realized that Parker had been sneaking out and must have sensed him at the manor. He KNEW that the only thing that could sway my brother to good would be his family. He wouldn't even try to kill me, but he had no qualms about getting rid of everyone else."  
  
Piper interrupted, "Why wouldn't he try to kill you too? I mean, Parker's sister must be one of his strongest ties to his family."  
  
Angela nodded, "Yea, but you forget something. Demons are greedy. Why have just half of the Gemini Prophecy when you can have all of it? He won't dare to come after me until I've turned twenty-one. Once I chose to fight for good then, there is no turning around and he will have no chance of getting me to the side of evil. But since I'm not there yet, he's going to take every advantage that he can get. Jakkin's hoping that my relationship with my brother might be strong enough to bring me to evil, just as I'm hoping that it will bring him to good." She stopped as Kit jumped into her lap, settling down and purring contently.  
  
A somber, worried expression was on the girl's face. When she didn't continue, Piper coaxed, "Angela, what did Jakkin do?" The girl looked up into the supportive, loving eyes that she had known her entire life and found that she couldn't speak. She couldn't sit here and tell her mother what Jakkin had done to their family. "You can tell me." Piper assured her softly, placing her feet on the floor and leaning slightly forward.  
  
Angela shook her head, looking down at the cat on her lap. "No. I can't." She looked up at her mom and her voice cracked emotionally, "But I can show you."  
  
Piper, intrigued, nodded her consent and for the first time in their conversation, Angela got up and came over to her. Daughter knelt down in front of mother and their eyes locked. Eyes that were so familiar, yet painfully alien.  
  
Angela reached up and placed her hands on either side of her mom's head, at the temples. She smiled grimly, "A little something I learned from Aunt Phoebe."  
  
"If that was supposed to make me feel better, it's not cutting it." Piper teased dryly.  
  
Angela smiled sadly up at her and, at that look, Piper steeled herself for what was to come. She was sure that it wasn't going to be good. Angela closed her eyes in concentration. The last thing that Piper heard before her mind was thrust to a different place, was her daughter whispering, "Don't be scared Mom."  
  
  
  
************  
  
  
  
Piper looked around, confused. She was in the downstairs, front hallway. "Hello?" She called hesitantly. She wasn't sure exactly where Angela had sent her, or when for that matter. The manor looked different that it had earlier. Some things had been moved around, others were gone altogether, and everything had the look of more wear and tear than usual.  
  
"Piper!" Phoebe came out of the kitchen, yelling her name. She stopped near the bottom of the steps, her back to Piper. "Piper!" She yelled again.  
  
"Phoebe? Phoebe, I'm right." she reached out to grab her sister's shoulder but quickly recoiled when her hand went through it. "Ooooookay, well, I can see that that's not going to work. I guess I'm just here as an observer, not as a participant. Fine by me." She muttered. Piper stepped back, leaning against the hallway wall as she watched life at the manor unfold.  
  
Phoebe had opened her mouth to yell again when a small boy, maybe six at the oldest, came running down the stairs. He was only partially dressed with his dark brown wet hair sticking up erratically all over his head. "Aun Pheebee help!" He cried, smiling. He jumped into Phoebe's arms as other Piper came racing down the steps. The boy squirmed, trying to get away as Piper playfully stalked towards him. "Help! Help!" He yelled, giggling.  
  
Phoebe giggled in response, then turned to her older sister, one hand going up to protectively curl around the boy's head. "And just what are you doing to my nephew?"  
  
Piper glared back at her, exasperated. "I'm TRYING to get him ready to go with me to the club." She looked at the boy again. "Baby, if we don't get going soon, Mommy's going to be late for work and there's a really important meeting that I have to get to on time."  
  
"No!" The little boy shook his head stubbornly and the observing Piper had to laugh. He looked just like her when he did that.  
  
The other Piper sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Why not Paul?"  
  
"Becawse," he explained simply, "I wan Daddy to kiss me bye."  
  
Piper couldn't help but smile at her son's statement. "Leo." She called.  
  
Her husband orbed into the room. "What's up?" Piper gestured to their son with a grin. Leo turned to him and smiled. "You rang?"  
  
Paul crossed his arms over his small chest, sticking out his bottom lip. "You didt kiss me bye today."  
  
Leo's smile grew and he reached over, pulling his son out of Phoebe's arms and twirling him around in the air. "Oh I didn't, did I?" He challenged him. "Well in that case," he lowered the boy and placed a kiss on his cheek and another on his forehead. "There's the one for today and there's a 'sorry' one because I forgot." The Piper at the wall smiled. Leo was going to be a great father.  
  
The boy clapped his hands together. "Good!" He exclaimed. He looked at his mother. "We go now."  
  
Piper laughed, "Oh, I'm glad you approve." Leo passed him to her and gave her a soft kiss. "Hey! I already got my kiss this morning." Piper exclaimed.  
  
Leo pulled away and cocked his head, "Are you complaining? I could always stop."  
  
"Don't even think about it." Piper ordered.  
  
There was a clumping sound and Paige came down the steps. "Alright, ready to go." She announced. The small bundle in her arms began to cry. "Uh-oh. I think she wants her mom." Paige reached the bottom and handed the child over to Phoebe.  
  
"Aww.. What is it Melinda?" She cooed. The girl almost instantly quieted down.  
  
"Seems like you've got the magic touch there sis." Paige noted.  
  
"Ha!" Phoebe said, "Magic has nothing to do with this. It's all in the skills..."  
  
Suddenly they were interrupted by a loud crack. Jakkin stood in the middle of the living room. He held up his hand commandingly, "Damn witches. Always getting in the way."  
  
"Excuse me?" Paige huffed. "And who the hell are you?"  
  
The demon in their home didn't get a chance to answer as Piper numbly whispered, "Jakkin."  
  
The other sisters were instantly on alert. Neither had seen this demon before (he had nabbed Piper before they could get to her) but they had heard plenty about him and knew what he had done to their sister. "Dude, you're either insane or just plain stupid to come around here. We are SO going to vanquish your sorry, demon ass." Phoebe spit out.  
  
"Oh, I think not." Jakkin grinned wickedly. "You see, I've had QUITE a while to work on a way to get rid of you. You have NO idea how powerful I've become." Piper raised her hands, quickly moving Paul to her hip. Jakkin saw it though and yelled, "Dashea!" They were instantly all paralyzed.  
  
The observing Piper pushed herself off of the wall, stunned. No demon could do that. None that she knew of anyway. They were the Charmed Ones. What the hell was going on? She looked at the group helplessly as Jakkin prowled over to them and noted with horror that their eyes were still looking around. They were alive. They were all still conscious. Oh, good God.  
  
Jakkin stopped in front of the frozen Piper. He leaned in so that his mouth was right next to her ear, close enough for his hot breath to fall on her shoulder. "Thank you SO much for the gift you gave to me. He is truly a magnificent creature." Jakkin's tongue flicked out and traced the outline of her ear, down her jawbone, ending at her lips. Leo's eyes flashed with rage and Piper was certain that regardless of whitelighter blood, he would be ANYTHING but a pacifist at this point. He pulled back, looking at the three witches, their two offspring, and their whitelighter. "Hmm.this is almost.. Anti-climactic. Don't you think?"  
  
He pulled an athamay out of his belt and went to each of them. Piper leaned against the wall with a cry, tears streaming down her face, as the demon plunged it into her other self and then into her son. He continued on to Paige, then Phoebe, and last to Melinda. None of them made a sound as the blood soaked through the front of their shirts to pull onto the floor. Jakkin stepped back, admiring his bloody masterpiece. He held out his hand and a vial full of black, oily liquid flamed onto him palm. He threw it at their feet and the substance immediately began to smoke and bubble. "And who said that witches are the only ones who could vanquish?" He asked innocently. The looks of all the paralyzed people had turned from hatred to terror. They couldn't defend themselves and there was no one to stop him.  
  
He closed his eyes, beginning to chant. "Where one is three and three is one, I call for them to come undone. These souls that scream for my demise, soon will learn I hear no cries. These witches are as witches be, as mortal here as you or me." There was an orbing next to the stilled figures in the hall and Angela appeared. She looked around, confused and opened her mouth to speak but was too late as Jakkin finished his spell. "Good is weak, as you will see. I vanquish you Charmed Ones and let it be."  
  
"NO!!" Angela screamed as the flames engulfed her family. The paralyzation wore off and agonizing screams ripped through the house. The sisters twisted, shielding the two children with them, as the flames licked hungrily at their bodies. Leo had unfrozen with the rest of them but there was nothing that either him or his daughter could do. In an instant, they were gone. The Charmed Ones were dead.  
  
Piper sobbed, clinging desperately to the wall behind her for support. "No, no, no, no.." She whispered. "It's not supposed to end like this. Not like this.." She choked as a fresh wave of tears hit her.  
  
Jakkin turned to the two remaining people in the room. "Ahhh, Whitelighter." Leo looked up at him, shoulder slumped in defeat. He was supposed to protect them. Not only were they his most important charges, they were his family. How could he have let them die like that? The invisible Piper was attempting to pull herself back together. She looked at her husband, noticing his lost look, and willed him to be strong. Even if she wasn't with him anymore, she would still need him to be strong.  
  
Jakkin was still talking, "I know whitelighters can't be vanquished normally so I've prepared a 'special' treat for you." A darklighter crossbow appeared in his hand. Piper noticed that it glimmered oddly. Something wasn't right about that. "At least, you'll get a quick, painless death." He must have manipulated it somehow, Piper reasoned. Darklighter poison usually took quite awhile to kill a whitelighter. Jakkin raised his arm up, pointing it at Leo.  
  
"Dad!" Angela cried desperately. Leo's head snapped up, surprised that his daughter was still there. Piper saw his eyes flash and knew that there was still some fight left in him. Jakkin pulled the trigger just as Leo orbed out. The demon looked at the girl standing in the hall and she quickly followed her father's lead.  
  
Jakkin shrugged as he looked around the now empty floor. "Ah, well. I got what I came for." And he shimmered out.  
  
Two figures immediately orbed back into the room once the demon had left. They stood silently in front of the scorch marks on the floor of the hall. They didn't know what to say. There wasn't really anything that could be said. Leo took his daughter's hand. "C'mon." He said softly. "Let's get out of here." She bowed her head, mourning and they both orbed out.  
  
Piper was left alone, holding her hand in disbelief in front of her mouth. She couldn't believe that that just happened. That couldn't be their futures. It just couldn't. She felt herself being pulled back and closed her eyes, letting the image in front of her dissolve as she returned to her own reality.  
  
**************  
  
Piper gasped as her eyes shot open. She was sweating, sitting bolt upright in her chair, and Angela quickly removed the hands from her forehead. She didn't even have to ask if Piper ad seen it. Her mother's reaction was enough. Angela reached for a glass of water that she had set on the table earlier. "Here, drink this." She coaxed. Piper gratefully accepted the drink, downing almost all of it before coming up for air. She was shaky though and Angela had to gently place the empty glass back on the table for her.  
  
After taking a few deep, calming breaths, Piper finally asked. "When does.. When DID that happen?"  
  
"Two days ago." Angela confirmed. Piper looked up, startled that the girl could be so calm after losing so much just a couple days ago. It had taken her weeks to get composed after Prue had died and even then she still hadn't been solid. Angela continued, not noticing Piper's look. "Dad and I grabbed the Book of Shadows and left the house. We had been staying Up There since then. We talked about it for a long time and eventually decided that me going back to the past would probably be our best bet."  
  
Piper looked at her, "But why come all the way back to now? Why not just go back to before Jakkin ambushed everyone and get him then."  
  
Angela looked up at her, haunted. "I tried that. I tried that so many times. But it never worked. I didn't watch you die once mom. I watched you die dozens of times. I tried to stop it and I failed every single time. I'm so sorry mom." Angela whispered the last part, and Piper knew that the girl wasn't really talking to her. She was talking to the dead, future mother that she would end up failing again and again.  
  
"Hey!" Piper said forcefully, "You are NOT a failure." The earlier words that Leo had spoken echoed from her mouth. "None of this was your fault and I KNOW that you tried your damnedest to try to save us. It just.." She trailed off, not quite knowing what to say next.  
  
"Was meant to be." Angela finished for her. She chuckled lightly, "That's exactly what Dad said too the last time that I came back. It must have been your destiny to be killed by Jakkin. So we thought that maybe I just wasn't going back far enough. Before now, Jakkin had been imprisoned in the underworld, so getting him then wouldn't work. But we thought that if we could stop him here, stop him from getting what would make him so powerful in the underworld (Talyn), then we could alter the future as well. As much as the Elders would like you to believe otherwise, destinies are not set in stone. They can always be changed."  
  
Piper nodded understandingly, remembering when her and her sisters had gone to the future to alter Phoebe's fate. "So what do we do now? Just wait and be prepared?"  
  
Angela nodded, looking knowingly down at her mother's bulging tummy. "Now we have to keep my brother out of Jakkin's hands." She placed one hand across the pregnant stomach and Piper gasped as she felt the current flow through her. The children inside of her squirmed and, for the first time, Piper could feel both separate bodies.  
  
Angela grinned up at her before a shadow fell across her face. "I won't fail this time mom."  
  
Piper brought a hand up, stroking her daughter's ponytailed hair and tucking an errant piece behind her ear. "You'll never be a failure to me." She assured her softly. Without warning, she gathered her daughter against her in a hug. After a brief hesitance, Angela relaxed, leaning into the embrace and wrapping her arms tightly around. And Piper understood that the girl wasn't just holding on to her. She was holding on to the dozens of other Pipers that she had watched die.  
  
And Piper smiled as she knew that she wasn't going to let it happen again.  
  
It was time to change some destinies.  
  
  
  
************  
  
The Underworld  
  
Exact Location Unknown  
  
Parker had been prowling around for hours. He had quickly grown tired of watching his family talk in the Manor while he had stayed outside. He figured that finding Jakkin would be a better use of his time. No one in the underworld had really taken any notice of him, which was just what he wanted. He was in his human form now, trying to avoid any unnecessary, and unwanted, attention that he would undoubtedly get as a Chimera.  
  
He didn't really know too much about Jakkin's past. When he had asked, the demon had usually just ignored him or changed the subject. And the few questions that Jakkin had answered.. Well, Parker was growing supicious of all the things that Jakkin had taught him while he was growing up. First it had been lies about the Gemini Prophecy. Then he had found that everything Jakkin had told him about his family had been a lie. It was a slap in the face. Jakkin had been everything to Parker growing up. He had been a leader, a mentor, and most importantly a father figure. Parker had wanted to be just like Jakkin when he got older. And he had wanted for Jakkin to have everything that he wanted. Everything that he DESERVED.  
  
But now things had changed. Parker wasn't sure of anything anymore. He didn't know who was right and who was wrong. He didn't know who to trust or who to believe. What he did know though was that it was his decision to make. Whatever direction he would decide on would be his alone to make. Noone, not Jakkin or Angela, was going to dictate what he was going to do.  
  
And he needed to find his answers on his own.  
  
Parker reached the entrance to what would later be the cavern where he would spend the first eighteen years of his life. He thought that he should feel something, anything as he moved past the familiar walls. But there was nothing. No memories, mo happiness, no nostalgia. And he was confused even more. And at that point he did feel something. He was scared. What if he was further along than he realized? What if he was already too evil to be saved? Was that why he couldn't feel anything?  
  
An array of voices interrupted his thoughts. One protruded above all the rest, a victorious tone clearly evident. "I have called you all here in hopes of gaining your support. I can assure you all that I WILL become the ruler of this chaotic underworld." Parker peeked around the corner. The speaker's back was to him, but he could easily tell that it was Jakkin, holding some sort of silver staff I his left hand. Parker noticed that there were wounds across the demon's arms and neck. He guessed that Jakkin might have already run into Meika. There were about twenty or thirty ominous demons huddled in front of him, facing in Parker's direction, but all their attention was focused up on the speaker in front of them.  
  
Jakkin hissed at the anxious group before him. "Now I know that some of you were loyal to me before my imprisonment." Almost half of the group bowed their heads respectfully at this statement. "And I have heard that you all are rather displeased as to the current state of the underworld hierarchy." All in the group nodded and grunted their accordance. "If you decide to follow and support me, I will ensure that you all are amply rewarded for your allegiance." The members of the group began to mutter amongst themselves.  
  
One large man on the far side of the group, pierced and tattooed, yelled out in a booming voice. "But you were captured and your followers were killed the last time you tried this crap. Why the hell should this time be any different?"  
  
Jakkin turned his head just far enough so that Parker could see the wicked smile that flashed across his features. "I know a secret." He taunted in a sing-song voice. At the clamor from the crowd, he raised his hands and it was quiet again. He cleared his throat dramatically. "I am sure that you all know about." He paused, making sure he had everyone's full attention. "The Gemini Prophecy." He was immediately bombarded with shouts of disbelief and questions. At his raised hands, the room silenced again. "The children are to be born within the next month. Tonight I will go and take the mother, bringing her down here where I can perform the ceremony to steal an unborn child."  
  
"Why only get one?" A voice from the middle of the crowd called out. "Just nab them both."  
  
"I highly doubt that I'll have the time," he drawled snidely. "Although the spell itself is rather short, the preparation is quite lengthy. Friends of the witch will come to save her before I get the chance to get the other child."  
  
A large black man with tribal tattoos across his face asked, "So which one are you going to take?"  
  
"The male of course." Jakkin answered like it was the most obvious answer in the world.  
  
"But females are always stronger than males. Why not take her?"  
  
"Because you idiot," Jakkin spit angrily, "Males are easier to manipulate. These children's parents are an extremely powerful witch and a whitelighter. They were born to do good. It would be hard enough to turn one if they were just normal. Forget power for the moment. I'm going to need the one who is more pliable, who I can bend and mold into exactly who I want him to be."  
  
"So, in other words," interjected a demon in the back, "You need a pawn."  
  
Jakkin grinned at him. "Exactly."  
  
"But what about this whole.. Emotion thing?" asked the same demon again. "You're going to need to show at least SOME amount of love and support," he almost gagged on his own words, "to get this kid to love and trust you. And looked what happened the last time that the leader of the underworld was ruled by his emotions."  
  
Parker had heard that story. He knew that they were talking about Cole and his Aunt Phoebe. But he was so focused on Jakkin's answer that he didn't really care.  
  
"Love? You expect me to love him? Ha! Demons are masters of deception Crackus. You should know that. He will believe what I want him to believe. Love has nothing to do with it. A demon doesn't have emotions remember? How could I possibly love something that is merely a pawn?"  
  
The entire group burst into laughter at his statement before quickly settling down and getting back to business. If any of the demons had stopped to listen, they might have heard the steady drip as blood hit the dirt floor in the entranceway. Parker stood, face ashen and downtrodden, his nails digging into his palms causing the blood to run to the ground. He turned slowly and walked away from the chamber and the sounds of the demons within it. As he walked, he slowly morphed back into his Chimera formed. He didn't know where he was going and really didn't care. His walk was rigid, tail slashing angrily from side to side.  
  
A pawn? Nothing more than a pawn? Jakkin had stolen almost twenty years of his life. The only father that Talyn had ever known had never really loved him at all. He bared his predatory teeth and gave a primal scream that went echoing up and down the walls of the tunnels around him.  
  
And it was at that point that he knew that he wasn't a demon as a myriad of emotions washed over him.  
  
Talyn had been betrayed.  
  
He was hurt.  
  
And he was pissed off.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC Hopefully the next part won't take as long. But if you want more you've got to hook me up with some feedback! ;^) 


End file.
